"You can now change the time of day after you've beaten the main story." I mean, of all that is included in this update, this is the one I'm the most surprised wasn't included at launch.
I've recently started streaming my games (a newborn is on the way, my entertainment room is gone). I use my phone with the dualsense and a good phone holder, and I'm stunned at how good it is.
I've got a quite good internet connection, and the PS5 is wired. Once in a while I get connection issues but it's extremely rare.
All in all it's a great way to play games without committing to sitting on the couch and switching on the big tv in the living room. Every indie game I've played played flawlessly, and I enjoyed even bigger 3D games for short sessions.
The only issue I have is for menu heavy games (like Baldur's Gate or Civilization) where the writings can get too small. I don't play online or FPS in general, so I can't comment on them.
But to all who doubt it, just try with your phone and dualsense and see if your connection handles it well, you may be very surprised.
@Americansamurai1 @cuttlefishjones @rjejr Yep, AI is replacing jobs very quickly, and there's not a lot they can do about it.
Do you know where we could get the list of the jobs being laid off, to get an idea of how much could be due do AI? I'd bet IT and art jobs are the first to go, but I may be wrong...
I mean, if those suits are the product of the Gameheads project, I'm not sure we should finance it in any way. Charity or not, the expectation is get a great product at the end...
@Shepherd_Tallon @Enriesto I am extremely curious about this : do you (and other people claiming to book days off fro a new release) really do it, or is it an hyperbolic way of saying you'll play it day one and as much as you can?
@Rob_230 I agree. And I'm frightened to see the gaming entertainment getting more and more Middle-Eastern and Chinese involvement.
A Tencent console could destroy Sony, since it would guarantee the Chinese market while being extremely competitive abroad... And Western companies would jump at the chance to publish games on it.
@Amppari I agree. This could be potentially as big as Sega leaving the console business. This would leave an incredibly big vacuum to be filled, and I'm sure companies like Valve are watching carefully...
@MikeOrator Devs don't make game that scale for every specific PC configuration, as I'm sure you're aware of. On PC, it's expected that the user will tinker out the best settings, with some very broad and popular settings being suggested by the devs.
For consoles, the devs have to test the game all the way from start to finish for every mode they offer, especially if they state the target resolution and frame rate.
So if Capcom said "there are 2 modes : 30fps and 60fps", they'd need to test the game for both modes to make sure the advertisement was right, or get shredded on the internet (starting by Digital Foundry), or even being forced to offer refund if they couldn't meet the targets for most of the time...
So yeah, another graphic mode is a lot of time in QA, unless the game is handling the mode easily (for example, a 1080p60 mode when the console could easily output at higher resolution/frame rate all the time).
@AndyKazama The frame rate range for VRR on PS5 is 48fps-60fps, unless the game has a 120Hz mode, then it's 48fps-120fps (with custom Low Frame Compensation - LFC available).
Sadly, the console doesn't have a option for a permanent 120Hz output, so you can't use all the VRR range unless the game allows it.
So unless Dragon's Dogma 2 comes with a 120Hz mode (like most 1st party Sony games do, for example), then there's not a lot of chance VRR will be any kind of useful if their target frame rate is 30+fps.
@DennisReynolds Same. What a game, and what an incredible support from the team! The only very slight disappointment was the native PS5 version without 4K/120fps but heck, who cares, the game is simply fantastic!
@Dman10 I know I'm against the grain here, don't get me wrong. But personally, going around an empty city/world with a car is boring, and doesn't even get close to the thrill of a well-designed dynamic track.
Please make it so it's not open world. Open world racing games are really not my cup of tea, handcrafted interesting and dynamic tracks are always superior imo.
@ZeD I agree, I am hungry for really good arcade racing games too. The last one that I couldn't put down and that I still play today is Split/Second, and it came out on PS3!
@Jayslow Well, that's not judicious, isn't it? The role of creatives is to create. The role of executives is to manage. Creative people are generally very bad at managing what they create, so they need people to help them monetize and streamline, etc their products.
The issue is when a management that doesn't care about the art/entertainment takes over the creative part of an endeavor that is, in its core, creative like video games (you can apply to any other entertainment) : you get committee produced, MTX riddled, live service pieces of *****.
But let the creative run wild without management and you get niche indies with no funding to have any real scope.
A few personal facts about me: my #1 job in life is raising two amazing boys. In addition to parenthood, a typical week for me includes finding time for daily yoga and prayer, and of course, playing video games (big Diablo IV fan over here!).
I'm sure the next-to-be-fired employees who will have to inject microtransactions and free-to-play mechanics into their games are very happy to know she likes yoga and prays regularly.
@Flaming_Kaiser You must be right. This is my first try on ChatGPT with the prompt : "make a note to staff from the new Blizzard CEO, who was the director of the Call of Duty franchise before"
Subject: A New Chapter Begins
Dear Blizzard Team,
I am thrilled to address you all as the new CEO of Blizzard Entertainment. Having previously served as the Director of the Call of Duty franchise, I bring with me a deep passion for gaming and a commitment to fostering creativity, innovation, and a positive work environment.
Blizzard has a rich history of creating immersive and groundbreaking experiences that have captivated millions of players around the world. As we embark on this new chapter together, I am excited about the potential for growth, collaboration, and elevating our beloved franchises to new heights.
Our community of players is at the heart of everything we do, and their passion drives us to deliver exceptional gaming experiences. I believe in the power of strong teamwork and the collective creativity that each one of you brings to the table. Together, we will continue to build worlds that resonate with our players and leave a lasting impact on the gaming industry.
Transparency and open communication are key pillars of my leadership style. I am committed to fostering an environment where everyone's voice is heard, and ideas are valued. We will work together to create an inclusive workplace that champions diversity and supports each individual in reaching their full potential.
Blizzard has a legacy of excellence, and I am honored to lead this talented team. Let's continue to push boundaries, challenge ourselves, and most importantly, create games that bring joy and excitement to players worldwide.
I look forward to meeting each of you personally and working together to shape the future of Blizzard Entertainment.
It is important to note that Call of Duty’s way of waking up in the morning to deliver for players can often differ from the stunning games in Blizzard’s realm
Do these people hear themselves? Do they still know how normal human beings talk?
@Boucho11 I'm going to be honest: I bought it on a sale because of all the positive reviews, and I couldn't finish it.
The Positive :
good enough graphics during gameplay, nothing extreme technically speaking, but the recreation of the movie ambiance is really superb
fun enough shooting, with good feelings when the bullets hit with gore, but...
The Negative :
the gampelay is very slow (I know, it's meant to be because you're Robocop, but I found myself asking for more speed and traversal options again and again) and repetitive (not very much else to do than slowly progressing during levels to shoot with the same weapons the same kind of enemies)
side activities are good throwbacks to the movie but gameplaywise don't bring that much enjoyment
the cutscenes are some of the worst cutscenes I've played in a very long time : stilted animations, completely out-of-sync or simply non-existent lip-sync, textures loading late, very mid acting)
So it all depends : imo, you have to be a huge Robocop fan with rose tinted glasses to enjoy the game more than a few hours. Take out the recreation of the movie setups, the rest ranges from mid to very very bad. I really hoped it wouldn't be this way, but I can't recommend it at all.
@Pranwell @Max_the_German I think we need to hear both sides here.
Yes, AI is here to stay and will revolutionize every facet of our lives, from industry to entertainment, and mostly for the better, with a lot of caveats and abuses along the way.
And yes, AI will open the door to abuses if every way (politics, media, social, economy, war, etc) of such a scale that it could be civilization ending (or at least a drastic shift), and therefore has incredibly hard to solve ethical issues embedded in it.
Both sides are right, and extremists of either side are wrong to not consider the other. If only we had people in charge (politics and corpo CEOs and such) with values and principles to make sure a good fine line is ridden during this incredible transition phase. Sadly we don't, which is why we'll probably get the worst of each side whatever we bitch about on forums...
We really need to name these "remasters" correctly : they are ports.
Now, arguably, the added content in this "re-release" could put it in the remaster category, but the game itself is not changed at all.
I would suggest :
a port : no change of assets and gameplay, simply better resolution and fps -> should be free for those already owning the game due to the current easiness of porting a game to another device
a remaster : modification of assets (better models, better textures, better lighting, etc) but no significant change of gameplay -> should cost 10$/€ for current owners of previous versions
a remake : modification of assets and noticeable changes in the gameplay (and even the narrative if applicable) -> should cost 40€/$
Prices to be adapted based on the original price of the game.
Then we would stop feeling conned by marketing departments trying to sell us something that demanded so few efforts and budget
I remember a few weeks ago someone criticizing my take that Sony should boycott media outlets that published the content of the Insomniacs leak, saying it would be Sony shooting itself in the foot.
Here you go then, a good example that a combination of big brands and good games absolutely doesn't need all these outlets to sell. Quite the contrary. I think it's really time we change "gaming journalism" so it's neither PR marketing for the publishers nor ideologically based content copy-pasted from reddit.
Kudos to PushSquare though, it managed to hold its head above the water most of the time during controversies.
But I'll stay skeptical until I see it. It will come down in the end at where Microsoft sees more benefits : more console exclusives to bring people to their platform, or more direct revenues from selling the games on all platforms...
As always, I'll be waiting for a good sales to do any buying, but of all these games, Granblue Fantasy Relink and Dragon's Dogma 2 are the ones I'm the most optimistic about. I'll also keep an eye on Rise of the Ronin and Pacific Drive...
"Too much of what it’s hard to say exactly but basically everything." I'm with you on that statement. And I'd use it to describe a lot of recent games. The main menu screen of games like The Crew Motorfest, Lego 2K drive, Battlefront 2 are so full of elements that it's tiring even before starting the game.
A main menu should be : Continue New Game Load Game Options
That's it... more than this and you've already lost me... Even worse scenario : no main menu, you're injected directly in the game with options and settings to the wazoo in all kind of different menus and windows, like Genshin Impact.
I know, I sound like an old man on his porch, and maybe I am.
I stayed away from news about this game for a long time, and just based on this trailer : I'm not into the design. This faux-low poly design does feel like a cop out : not really retro, but not the high quality expected in 2024. The animations look ok though.
And damn that prince design is bad... Ubisoft really need to relearn how to make likeable characters. The last I can remember was Kassandra from AC Odyssey, and this was more than 5 years ago. (a small honorable mention to Fenyx in Immortals Fenyx Rising though...)
@Llamageddon Fair enough. Ideally, the choice of MC shouldn't have any impact on the kind of humor the devs choose.
But let's be real, there's no way this choice of MC in a game as huge as GTA6, in 2024, won't have a direct impact on what they will decide to include in the game itself. Which is funny in some way, since we are going to have endless debate about whether or not the game's handling of Lucia was "woke" or "offensive", whatever Rockstar chooses to do.
Kotaku's going to write thousand word long essays on why GTA6 is racist, and 4chan is going to be filled with "GTA6 is woke BS" anyway. Whatever is going to actually be in the game will never be enough for the ideologically close-minded on either side, and they will bring us along with them, sadly, as has happened in this comment section.
So, again, we'll see I guess. I'm sure the game itself will be fantastic, and I hope Rockstar manages to use their huge cultural influence to not bend to any extremes, whatever the side.
@ErrantRob Thank you. As a teacher myself, I strive to stay as objective and neutral as I can in my class, whatever my individual opinions (but I admit to letting go when I'm online, sadly that's what social media does to you!).
But while for some subjects, it's very difficult to see both sides as valid, here it should be easy to say that yes, being aware of past and current discriminatory behaviors and trying to change them and the structures allowing them is a good thing, but also yes, the abuse of such a position is easy to envision and observe in today's world, be it in the news media, the political world or entertainment.
So when "woke" people are simply calling for a more egalitarian and open minded society, no issue. But when the same people want to force everyone to agree with them on everything in the name of "equity", it's gone too far.
So a latina as an MC is not an issue, but if it's at the cost of the very harsh and raw satirical humor of previous GTA games, then it is one... We'll see I guess how well Rockstar handles it.
@DennisReynolds But being "woke" is absolutely not what you said. This is the PR marketing BS that politicians sell on TV.
Being "woke" is not just realising there are different people around you, it's also realising the current structures and institutions are causing discrimination and harm towards "marginalized people", and then having the duty of changing said structures and institutions so they are more "inclusive".
And I'm sure you know this well, as we've both been living in the same world for the last 10 years at least. ; )
When people criticize something as being "woke" (notwithstanding the few dum-dums that just don't like women, and they are very few indeed), it's not because it has women or gay characters. Alien was not woke. The Ballad of Gay Tony was not woke. Metroid was not woke, etc, you get the gist.
"Being woke" is deconstructing current narratives, institutions and content to make them fit a new worldview. For example, taking an existing franchise and changing it until it isn't what it was anymore so it seems to be including more character currently deemed "marginalised". This is the main reason there are very few new IPs that can be considered "woke", and most of it is existing IPs being more or less slowly brought to a state that doesn't appeal to anyone anymore.
This is what people are afraid when they see a latina as the main character of GTA6, both the fact it's a woman MC and she's latina are things we've seen too many times in woke and weak attempts to deconstruct franchises that people are afraid Rockstar is doing the same and changing the satirical humor that makes GTA what it is. Personally, I'm not specially afraid, but since we live in 2024, I'm still wary (and would have been even if all the MCs were men).
@mariomaster96 We obviously played the same game, but either we have different tastes, or we were in very different mindsets when we played it.
I'm always surprised at the takes other people have about some games. For example, I've always found the gameplay of the Metal Gear Solid games very poor, and their story obnoxious and pretentious, but clearly others don't see it the same way.
So of course I'm surprised at your takes abour HL. I have been playing open world games since they became a thing, and frankly to me it's one of the good ones. But as I said, opinions differ, and it's a good thing! : )
If you like open-world third person games, it's really good : the story is interesting, the characters are endearing, the world is well made with quite a few surprises, the castle is fantastic and the gameplay is fun without being overbearing.
And I say this without being any kind of Harry Potter fan (I've watched most of the movies once, and that's it). If you're a fan, it's a no brainer.
@jedinite I neved said that! : ) I said I would be coming back to the game again and again to see all the possibilities, and I added I already played the game twice. Of course I haven't seen all the possibilities yet!
@CharlieChooChoo Good question. Here are some suggestions (beware spoilers for SM2) :
1-the location : while it was fun to have more of New-York in it, one can argue it got repetitive at some point. Maybe a story based in two cities, or in two timelines with drastically different New York could have made it more surprising
2-the story : at least one major and real death should have happen at some point, either Peter or Miles, or at least MJ... the passing of the torch from Peter to Miles was handled in such a weird and fake way, killing Peter would have been the less safe but ultimately better way to go
3-the playable characters : everybody was expecting Peter and Miles to be playable but they really had to add Venom as fully playable for the third act, this would have also brought diversity to the gameplay
4-the story structure : while I applaud Insomniacs for how they managed to include so many characters in the same story like in SM1, I don't think "the real villain is only going to get revealed at the end of Act2" is good storytelling, especially when we all know who it's going to be, like in SM1. And at leat in SM1, we saw the villain's origin story, and even participated in it
5-the moral choices : Spider-Man's stories are all about the difficult moral choices between Peter's/Miles' personal life and the responsibility of a superhero. I would have loved to give the player this choice this time : let us choose the end of the game by making a choice, maybe between who is going to live, Peter or Miles, or between letting MJ or Harry die, or, as Miles, saving Peter or his mother... a lot of options, but a choice would have been great to have
I have a lot of other ideas, but for now what do you think about these?
In any other years without heavy hitters like in 2023, Hogwarts Legacy would have easily been top 3 material. It is, imo, as good as SM2 is in what both games are trying to achieve : wonderful world, superb ambiance, good enough story and characters, and very fun gameplay mechanics.
Personally, BG3 is my GOTY : an incredible milestone for gaming that achieves enough to make you forget about the technical issues. I know it's a game I will be coming back again and again (already done 2 playthroughs) to see all the possibilities. This is the kind of experience I got with Dark Souls and Elden Ring : any other game feels less interesting than another run at BG3 right now.
SM2 is a great game for sure. It is everything a safe sequel should be : bigger world, more refined gameplay. But it's too safe : no gameplay mechanic was really game changing (except the gliding), the story, while well constructed, didn't include anything suprising, and the ideologically charged moments and side content made it cringe too often. But still a fantastic game to play and platinum in a few days.
Comments 984
Re: Spider-Man 2's Massive New Game+ Update Is Finally Here, Mission Replay and More Included
"You can now change the time of day after you've beaten the main story."
I mean, of all that is included in this update, this is the one I'm the most surprised wasn't included at launch.
Re: PS Plus Premium's Cloud Streaming Is Much, Much Better Than You Think
I've recently started streaming my games (a newborn is on the way, my entertainment room is gone). I use my phone with the dualsense and a good phone holder, and I'm stunned at how good it is.
I've got a quite good internet connection, and the PS5 is wired. Once in a while I get connection issues but it's extremely rare.
All in all it's a great way to play games without committing to sitting on the couch and switching on the big tv in the living room. Every indie game I've played played flawlessly, and I enjoyed even bigger 3D games for short sessions.
The only issue I have is for menu heavy games (like Baldur's Gate or Civilization) where the writings can get too small. I don't play online or FPS in general, so I can't comment on them.
But to all who doubt it, just try with your phone and dualsense and see if your connection handles it well, you may be very surprised.
Re: 900 PlayStation Employees Laid Off, London Studio Closed
@Americansamurai1 @cuttlefishjones @rjejr Yep, AI is replacing jobs very quickly, and there's not a lot they can do about it.
Do you know where we could get the list of the jobs being laid off, to get an idea of how much could be due do AI? I'd bet IT and art jobs are the first to go, but I may be wrong...
Re: New Spider-Man 2 Suits for Huge 7th March Update Revealed, Will Cost $5 at First
I mean, if those suits are the product of the Gameheads project, I'm not sure we should finance it in any way. Charity or not, the expectation is get a great product at the end...
Re: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Out for PS5, PS4 on 21st June 2024
@Shepherd_Tallon @Enriesto I am extremely curious about this : do you (and other people claiming to book days off fro a new release) really do it, or is it an hyperbolic way of saying you'll play it day one and as much as you can?
Re: Microsoft Allegedly Told Employees 'Every Screen Is an Xbox' Ahead of PS5 Port Speculation
@Rob_230 I agree. And I'm frightened to see the gaming entertainment getting more and more Middle-Eastern and Chinese involvement.
A Tencent console could destroy Sony, since it would guarantee the Chinese market while being extremely competitive abroad... And Western companies would jump at the chance to publish games on it.
Re: Microsoft Allegedly Told Employees 'Every Screen Is an Xbox' Ahead of PS5 Port Speculation
@Amppari I agree. This could be potentially as big as Sega leaving the console business. This would leave an incredibly big vacuum to be filled, and I'm sure companies like Valve are watching carefully...
Re: Dragon's Dogma 2 Will Have an Uncapped Frame Rate on PS5
@MikeOrator Devs don't make game that scale for every specific PC configuration, as I'm sure you're aware of. On PC, it's expected that the user will tinker out the best settings, with some very broad and popular settings being suggested by the devs.
For consoles, the devs have to test the game all the way from start to finish for every mode they offer, especially if they state the target resolution and frame rate.
So if Capcom said "there are 2 modes : 30fps and 60fps", they'd need to test the game for both modes to make sure the advertisement was right, or get shredded on the internet (starting by Digital Foundry), or even being forced to offer refund if they couldn't meet the targets for most of the time...
So yeah, another graphic mode is a lot of time in QA, unless the game is handling the mode easily (for example, a 1080p60 mode when the console could easily output at higher resolution/frame rate all the time).
At least, that's my take...
Re: Dragon's Dogma 2 Will Have an Uncapped Frame Rate on PS5
@AndyKazama The frame rate range for VRR on PS5 is 48fps-60fps, unless the game has a 120Hz mode, then it's 48fps-120fps (with custom Low Frame Compensation - LFC available).
Sadly, the console doesn't have a option for a permanent 120Hz output, so you can't use all the VRR range unless the game allows it.
So unless Dragon's Dogma 2 comes with a 120Hz mode (like most 1st party Sony games do, for example), then there's not a lot of chance VRR will be any kind of useful if their target frame rate is 30+fps.
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 6 Promises Big Improvements and Fixes
"Automatically triggered dialogue will now try to prioritise your avatar as the main speaker"
Finally yes! How many times I needed this!
Re: Dead Cells Post-Launch Support Coming to an End After Five Years of Updates
@DennisReynolds Same. What a game, and what an incredible support from the team!
The only very slight disappointment was the native PS5 version without 4K/120fps but heck, who cares, the game is simply fantastic!
Re: New Burnout Game Possibly Teased in Developer Tweet
@Dman10 I know I'm against the grain here, don't get me wrong. But personally, going around an empty city/world with a car is boring, and doesn't even get close to the thrill of a well-designed dynamic track.
Re: New Burnout Game Possibly Teased in Developer Tweet
Please make it so it's not open world. Open world racing games are really not my cup of tea, handcrafted interesting and dynamic tracks are always superior imo.
@ZeD I agree, I am hungry for really good arcade racing games too. The last one that I couldn't put down and that I still play today is Split/Second, and it came out on PS3!
Re: Call of Duty Boss Takes the Top Job at Blizzard
@Titntin No, ChatGPT (at least the free version, couldn't say for any paid version) doesn't use any internet database from before January 2022.
Re: Call of Duty Boss Takes the Top Job at Blizzard
@Jayslow Well, that's not judicious, isn't it? The role of creatives is to create. The role of executives is to manage. Creative people are generally very bad at managing what they create, so they need people to help them monetize and streamline, etc their products.
The issue is when a management that doesn't care about the art/entertainment takes over the creative part of an endeavor that is, in its core, creative like video games (you can apply to any other entertainment) : you get committee produced, MTX riddled, live service pieces of *****.
But let the creative run wild without management and you get niche indies with no funding to have any real scope.
Re: Call of Duty Boss Takes the Top Job at Blizzard
@Loamy To be fair to ChatGPT, her actual note is far worse : https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/blizzard/24062302/introducing-johanna-faries-as-the-new-president-of-blizzard-entertainment
It's full of gems like this :
I'm sure the next-to-be-fired employees who will have to inject microtransactions and free-to-play mechanics into their games are very happy to know she likes yoga and prays regularly.
Re: Call of Duty Boss Takes the Top Job at Blizzard
@Flaming_Kaiser You must be right. This is my first try on ChatGPT with the prompt : "make a note to staff from the new Blizzard CEO, who was the director of the Call of Duty franchise before"
Subject: A New Chapter Begins
Dear Blizzard Team,
I am thrilled to address you all as the new CEO of Blizzard Entertainment. Having previously served as the Director of the Call of Duty franchise, I bring with me a deep passion for gaming and a commitment to fostering creativity, innovation, and a positive work environment.
Blizzard has a rich history of creating immersive and groundbreaking experiences that have captivated millions of players around the world. As we embark on this new chapter together, I am excited about the potential for growth, collaboration, and elevating our beloved franchises to new heights.
Our community of players is at the heart of everything we do, and their passion drives us to deliver exceptional gaming experiences. I believe in the power of strong teamwork and the collective creativity that each one of you brings to the table. Together, we will continue to build worlds that resonate with our players and leave a lasting impact on the gaming industry.
Transparency and open communication are key pillars of my leadership style. I am committed to fostering an environment where everyone's voice is heard, and ideas are valued. We will work together to create an inclusive workplace that champions diversity and supports each individual in reaching their full potential.
Blizzard has a legacy of excellence, and I am honored to lead this talented team. Let's continue to push boundaries, challenge ourselves, and most importantly, create games that bring joy and excitement to players worldwide.
I look forward to meeting each of you personally and working together to shape the future of Blizzard Entertainment.
Thank you for your dedication and passion.
Sincerely,
[New CEO's Name]
CEO, Blizzard Entertainment
Re: Call of Duty Boss Takes the Top Job at Blizzard
Do these people hear themselves? Do they still know how normal human beings talk?
Re: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Seems to Confirm 164 Playable Character Forms
I'm skeptical about this being the player select screen of the final game. It's clunky and not user friendly at all.
And even if it was, no way these pics would be the portraits used to select your character : too many different poses and zoom levels.
It's most probably just some character examples distributed in a way to represent a roster screen.
Hopefully the number 164 is right though, but let's wait for a confirmation.
Re: Sony Pulling the Plug on Bloodborne Kart, Must Rebrand
Wait, he's not expecting to be paid for this, right? It's going to be free... right?
Re: Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero Is Ridiculously Good Looking In First Real Trailer
I am so hyped for this I can't contain myself! Hopefully it's the true sequel of BT3 we have been waiting for all these years!
Re: The Latest PS5 Firmware Update Is Available to Download Now
Still no permanent 120Hz output mode? We really need this so VRR gets a lot better for all games...
Re: PS5 Audio Experience Upgraded with New Equalizer, Sidetone Features
Why but why can't the console get an full-on equalizer usable with every device?
Re: Dragon's Dogma 2 Director Says Travel Isn't Boring, Your Game Is
Confirmed : Dragon's Dogma 2 has bikes!
Re: Freedom Planet 2 Finally Fights Its Way to PS5, PS4 in April
@BeerIsAwesome Good to know, thx for the info!
Re: Big RoboCop: Rogue City Patch Adds New Game +, New Difficulty Option, and More
@windxtravelerx I'm not very sensitive to bad fps, but yeah, it's not perfectly stable for sure.
Re: Freedom Planet 2 Finally Fights Its Way to PS5, PS4 in April
I never heard of the first Freedom Planet, but damn this is borderline copy-pasting from the Sonic games.
A good case of "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."?
Re: Big RoboCop: Rogue City Patch Adds New Game +, New Difficulty Option, and More
@Boucho11 I'm going to be honest: I bought it on a sale because of all the positive reviews, and I couldn't finish it.
The Positive :
The Negative :
So it all depends : imo, you have to be a huge Robocop fan with rose tinted glasses to enjoy the game more than a few hours. Take out the recreation of the movie setups, the rest ranges from mid to very very bad. I really hoped it wouldn't be this way, but I can't recommend it at all.
Re: Square Enix Confirms AI Art Use in PS5, PS4 Exclusive Foamstars
@Pranwell @Max_the_German I think we need to hear both sides here.
Yes, AI is here to stay and will revolutionize every facet of our lives, from industry to entertainment, and mostly for the better, with a lot of caveats and abuses along the way.
And yes, AI will open the door to abuses if every way (politics, media, social, economy, war, etc) of such a scale that it could be civilization ending (or at least a
drastic shift), and therefore has incredibly hard to solve ethical issues embedded in it.
Both sides are right, and extremists of either side are wrong to not consider the other. If only we had people in charge (politics and corpo CEOs and such) with values and principles to make sure a good fine line is ridden during this incredible transition phase. Sadly we don't, which is why we'll probably get the worst of each side whatever we bitch about on forums...
Re: The Last of Us 2 Remastered Director Doesn't Get Fan 'Consternation' Surrounding Re-Release
We really need to name these "remasters" correctly : they are ports.
Now, arguably, the added content in this "re-release" could put it in the remaster category, but the game itself is not changed at all.
I would suggest :
Prices to be adapted based on the original price of the game.
Then we would stop feeling conned by marketing departments trying to sell us something that demanded so few efforts and budget
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Gets Another Massive Patch Out of Nowhere
Just in time for my new honour mode playthrough I wanted to start this week-end! Perfect timing!
Re: Immortality Brings Marissa Marcel's Lost Films to PS5, Out 23rd January
I've heard very good things about this game, I'll keep an eye on it for sure!
Re: Hogwarts Legacy Conjures a Staggering 22 Million Sales
I remember a few weeks ago someone criticizing my take that Sony should boycott media outlets that published the content of the Insomniacs leak, saying it would be Sony shooting itself in the foot.
Here you go then, a good example that a combination of big brands and good games absolutely doesn't need all these outlets to sell. Quite the contrary. I think it's really time we change "gaming journalism" so it's neither PR marketing for the publishers nor ideologically based content copy-pasted from reddit.
Kudos to PushSquare though, it managed to hold its head above the water most of the time during controversies.
Re: Spyro the Dragon Tweet Ignites Hopes for a Sequel
@Skeletor85 @PixelDragon Fair enough.
But I'll stay skeptical until I see it. It will come down in the end at where Microsoft sees more benefits : more console exclusives to bring people to their platform, or more direct revenues from selling the games on all platforms...
Re: Spyro Tweet Sparks Hopes of Draconian Sequel
Why would anyone think a new Spyro would come to Playstation after the Microfost/Activision deal?
Re: Soapbox: Hear Me Out! Honkai: Star Rail Is One of PS5's Better Roguelites
@DestructionAllstars Fair enough, I'll take the hit! : )
Re: Poll: Which PS5 Games are You Buying in Early 2024's Ridiculous Release Schedule?
As always, I'll be waiting for a good sales to do any buying, but of all these games, Granblue Fantasy Relink and Dragon's Dogma 2 are the ones I'm the most optimistic about.
I'll also keep an eye on Rise of the Ronin and Pacific Drive...
Re: Soapbox: Hear Me Out! Honkai: Star Rail Is One of PS5's Better Roguelites
"Too much of what it’s hard to say exactly but basically everything."
I'm with you on that statement. And I'd use it to describe a lot of recent games. The main menu screen of games like The Crew Motorfest, Lego 2K drive, Battlefront 2 are so full of elements that it's tiring even before starting the game.
A main menu should be :
Continue
New Game
Load Game
Options
That's it... more than this and you've already lost me... Even worse scenario : no main menu, you're injected directly in the game with options and settings to the wazoo in all kind of different menus and windows, like Genshin Impact.
I know, I sound like an old man on his porch, and maybe I am.
Re: Get Lost in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's Dark World on PS5, PS4
@Gabrielmpf Apparently, it's 50€/$ or 45£.
60€/$ or 50£ for the Deluxe Edition.
Re: Get Lost in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's Dark World on PS5, PS4
I stayed away from news about this game for a long time, and just based on this trailer : I'm not into the design. This faux-low poly design does feel like a cop out : not really retro, but not the high quality expected in 2024. The animations look ok though.
And damn that prince design is bad... Ubisoft really need to relearn how to make likeable characters. The last I can remember was Kassandra from AC Odyssey, and this was more than 5 years ago. (a small honorable mention to Fenyx in Immortals Fenyx Rising though...)
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
@Llamageddon Fair enough. Ideally, the choice of MC shouldn't have any impact on the kind of humor the devs choose.
But let's be real, there's no way this choice of MC in a game as huge as GTA6, in 2024, won't have a direct impact on what they will decide to include in the game itself. Which is funny in some way, since we are going to have endless debate about whether or not the game's handling of Lucia was "woke" or "offensive", whatever Rockstar chooses to do.
Kotaku's going to write thousand word long essays on why GTA6 is racist, and 4chan is going to be filled with "GTA6 is woke BS" anyway. Whatever is going to actually be in the game will never be enough for the ideologically close-minded on either side, and they will bring us along with them, sadly, as has happened in this comment section.
So, again, we'll see I guess. I'm sure the game itself will be fantastic, and I hope Rockstar manages to use their huge cultural influence to not bend to any extremes, whatever the side.
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
@ErrantRob Thank you. As a teacher myself, I strive to stay as objective and neutral as I can in my class, whatever my individual opinions (but I admit to letting go when I'm online, sadly that's what social media does to you!).
But while for some subjects, it's very difficult to see both sides as valid, here it should be easy to say that yes, being aware of past and current discriminatory behaviors and trying to change them and the structures allowing them is a good thing, but also yes, the abuse of such a position is easy to envision and observe in today's world, be it in the news media, the political world or entertainment.
So when "woke" people are simply calling for a more egalitarian and open minded society, no issue. But when the same people want to force everyone to agree with them on everything in the name of "equity", it's gone too far.
So a latina as an MC is not an issue, but if it's at the cost of the very harsh and raw satirical humor of previous GTA games, then it is one... We'll see I guess how well Rockstar handles it.
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
@DennisReynolds But being "woke" is absolutely not what you said. This is the PR marketing BS that politicians sell on TV.
Being "woke" is not just realising there are different people around you, it's also realising the current structures and institutions are causing discrimination and harm towards "marginalized people", and then having the duty of changing said structures and institutions so they are more "inclusive".
And I'm sure you know this well, as we've both been living in the same world for the last 10 years at least. ; )
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
Damn so we're still doing this? Ok then...
When people criticize something as being "woke" (notwithstanding the few dum-dums that just don't like women, and they are very few indeed), it's not because it has women or gay characters. Alien was not woke. The Ballad of Gay Tony was not woke. Metroid was not woke, etc, you get the gist.
"Being woke" is deconstructing current narratives, institutions and content to make them fit a new worldview. For example, taking an existing franchise and changing it until it isn't what it was anymore so it seems to be including more character currently deemed "marginalised". This is the main reason there are very few new IPs that can be considered "woke", and most of it is existing IPs being more or less slowly brought to a state that doesn't appeal to anyone anymore.
This is what people are afraid when they see a latina as the main character of GTA6, both the fact it's a woman MC and she's latina are things we've seen too many times in woke and weak attempts to deconstruct franchises that people are afraid Rockstar is doing the same and changing the satirical humor that makes GTA what it is. Personally, I'm not specially afraid, but since we live in 2024, I'm still wary (and would have been even if all the MCs were men).
Re: UK Sales Charts: Hogwarts Legacy Is the Country's Biggest Boxed Release of 2023
@mariomaster96 We obviously played the same game, but either we have different tastes, or we were in very different mindsets when we played it.
I'm always surprised at the takes other people have about some games. For example, I've always found the gameplay of the Metal Gear Solid games very poor, and their story obnoxious and pretentious, but clearly others don't see it the same way.
So of course I'm surprised at your takes abour HL. I have been playing open world games since they became a thing, and frankly to me it's one of the good ones. But as I said, opinions differ, and it's a good thing! : )
Re: UK Sales Charts: Hogwarts Legacy Is the Country's Biggest Boxed Release of 2023
@CharlieChooChoo Absolutely!
If you like open-world third person games, it's really good : the story is interesting, the characters are endearing, the world is well made with quite a few surprises, the castle is fantastic and the gameplay is fun without being overbearing.
And I say this without being any kind of Harry Potter fan (I've watched most of the movies once, and that's it). If you're a fan, it's a no brainer.
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
@jedinite I neved said that! : )
I said I would be coming back to the game again and again to see all the possibilities, and I added I already played the game twice. Of course I haven't seen all the possibilities yet!
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
@CharlieChooChoo Fair enough, but at least now you know what people may mean when they say SM2 was "safe".
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
@CharlieChooChoo Good question. Here are some suggestions (beware spoilers for SM2) :
1-the location : while it was fun to have more of New-York in it, one can argue it got repetitive at some point. Maybe a story based in two cities, or in two timelines with drastically different New York could have made it more surprising
2-the story : at least one major and real death should have happen at some point, either Peter or Miles, or at least MJ... the passing of the torch from Peter to Miles was handled in such a weird and fake way, killing Peter would have been the less safe but ultimately better way to go
3-the playable characters : everybody was expecting Peter and Miles to be playable but they really had to add Venom as fully playable for the third act, this would have also brought diversity to the gameplay
4-the story structure : while I applaud Insomniacs for how they managed to include so many characters in the same story like in SM1, I don't think "the real villain is only going to get revealed at the end of Act2" is good storytelling, especially when we all know who it's going to be, like in SM1. And at leat in SM1, we saw the villain's origin story, and even participated in it
5-the moral choices : Spider-Man's stories are all about the difficult moral choices between Peter's/Miles' personal life and the responsibility of a superhero. I would have loved to give the player this choice this time : let us choose the end of the game by making a choice, maybe between who is going to live, Peter or Miles, or between letting MJ or Harry die, or, as Miles, saving Peter or his mother... a lot of options, but a choice would have been great to have
I have a lot of other ideas, but for now what do you think about these?
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
Fantastic to see Sea of Stars in the top 10.
In any other years without heavy hitters like in 2023, Hogwarts Legacy would have easily been top 3 material. It is, imo, as good as SM2 is in what both games are trying to achieve : wonderful world, superb ambiance, good enough story and characters, and very fun gameplay mechanics.
Personally, BG3 is my GOTY : an incredible milestone for gaming that achieves enough to make you forget about the technical issues. I know it's a game I will be coming back again and again (already done 2 playthroughs) to see all the possibilities. This is the kind of experience I got with Dark Souls and Elden Ring : any other game feels less interesting than another run at BG3 right now.
SM2 is a great game for sure. It is everything a safe sequel should be : bigger world, more refined gameplay. But it's too safe : no gameplay mechanic was really game changing (except the gliding), the story, while well constructed, didn't include anything suprising, and the ideologically charged moments and side content made it cringe too often. But still a fantastic game to play and platinum in a few days.