Olmaz

@Kienda I agree with @tameshiyaku here.

I kind of "respect" a skill based trophy, even if I know I won't get it... ever! In my mind, Trophies should always have been this, some kind of medal for playing the game well : managing to defeat a hard boss in a certain way, finding a very well hidden treasure, unlocking a hard-earned skill, etc.

Grinding trophies are really here only to make you play the game longer than you would have, which I'm sure has benefits for the producer/devs on the long run...

@zhoont At least every MK game's trophies got easier to complete after MK9...

The "My Kung Fu is Stronger" trophy in that game was just crazy! Which dev thought it was a good idea should never ever work again in anything related to trophies!

https://psnprofiles.com/trophy/864-mortal-kombat/37-my-kung-fu-is-stronger

2 reason I'm doubtful about the whole experience on the long term :

• looking at the in-game UI on the side of the screen must be really painful after a while
• all the graphical artifacts must be particularly evident (especially the ones coming from FSR or from motion interpolation).

I'm sure the experience is stunning at first, or for short burst, but for now I'll keep my 55" LG CX OLED at 2 meters from my couch...

@Th3solution @rjejr Guardians of the Galaxy is fantastic! It should have been up there in a lot of categories (art design, story, music, sound design and general game at least) for awards in 2021.

I was absolutely floored by the cast (both characters and actors) and the chemistry between them with, in my opinion, one of the best (if not the best) in-mission banter I've ever played!

@Bentleyma I've decided to go and try both Saints Row and Generation Zero.

Saints Row : couldn't go beyond one hour and a half (notwithstanding the character creator) : the character models are low PS3 level of bad, the world is boring and not good looking, physics are wonky, and the story is nonsensical in all the bad ways (and I liked Saints Row 3, so...)

Generation Zero : after one hour and a half, I liked what I played. It look good enough (being first person, the horrendous character models are not that bothersome), it's tense, the world is quite interesting. I don't know how much it will gather my attention between Baldur's Gate 3, Phantom Liberty and a replay of Elden Ring with another build, but right now I really want to play it again and manage to get to that damn farm...

I love the art style and the game looks fun enough

The issue I have sometimes with these extreme artistic games is that it can be very difficult to follow the action (especially in games like shmups). Will I be able to discern enemies from background quick enough to react? I hope they'll find a good balance as the game looks really good....

@Fyz306903 Apparently, you need to have been to Pacifica, at least.
Or you can launch a new game beginning directly at the DLC (like it was for the Witcher 3 DLCs).

Source : https://kotaku.com/cyberpunk-2077-phantom-liberty-quests-to-start-pacifica-1850525333

Really hyped on this, I played Cyberpunk 2077 after the RayTracing update and it was one of the most enjoyable experience of 2022, so bring it on.

On another topic, I'm surprised PushSquare hasn't reported on the fact The Chinese Room is now developing Vampire : The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2... Isn't it major news?

@Blofse I did my research, which is why I asked for a British point of view. As you well know, I'm sure, history is not taught the same way in different countries, even if the facts may be the same.

One good example I like is Napoleon. In France, I learned that he was this great builder and conqueror that modernized France and tried to unite Europe. When I talk to my colleagues of other countries, he's viewed as a bloodthirsty warmonger in the history books.

Hence why I asked to the British how this figure is viewed in England. Who knows, maybe he could have been seen as a "ruler", even if his claim to the thrones was unsuccessful, there are a lot weirder historical facts and interpretations around...

Rulers of England Pack : Varangian Harald Hardrada (Norway)

Can any British people tell me if this is a burn or if history is taught so in England?

I mean, as far I've found, Harald Hardrada never was ruler of England, he just invaded the country but failed ultimately to claim the throne?

To me, it looks like if someone said "Ruler of Russia : Adolf Hitler". But really, if there are British people here, please enlighten me!

So this is the new AstroBot trademark filed by Sony?

@Orpheus79V Thanks. I did a bit of research and managed to only find this Reddit thread that explains it a bit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Fighters/comments/se1p9w/do_fighting_games_play_differently_above_or_below/
If anyone has more in depth info, I'd love it.

@Loamy I was thinking exactly like you, but apparently fighting games are different : frames are units of time so both players must be at the same framerate... as far as I've understood...

"if you don't want your own frame rate to be halved for the sake of compatibility"

I must admit it's the first time I've heard of a game reducing the framerate of one player because of another player, but I generally don't play online games.

Is it something that happens a lot? Do you have examples of games that do this?

This is the kind of games that are perfect game for PS+, since a lot of subscribers won't have bought it.
I know I'll try it, most certainly won't play it for more than a few hours, but that's ok.

@ColdHandGee I know 120fps is out the question on PS5... obviously! : )

I was asking if the quality mode (which runs mostly close to 40fps) triggered the PS5 to output in 120Hz so that VRR was useful (like it happens in 40fps modes in Spider-Man or Ratchet&Clank for example).
Because if it doesn't do just that, this must incredible terrible to play in a game mode fluctuating between 30 and 40fps without VRR being able to handle it...

@ColdHandGee @DennisReynolds I have a small question : in the quality mode, I see the FPS they aim for is 40fps. Does it trigger the 120Hz mode on the tv to benefit from VRR, or does it stay at 60Hz? If the latter, that would be a missed opportunity...

I wonder how many people will be disappointed when they realize the game has nothing to do with Soulsborne games.

I know that even I have an interest in this only because of FromSoftware, and I have to remind myself every time that I normally don't like mechas, so I shouldn't be interested at all by this. So deep sale it is for me.

Fantastic!

I've played all AC games in the language of the country they take place when possible (so mainly the Ezio trilogy and Unity) and I missed the option for Origins and Odyssey.

With this options, it will be even better as I guess the modern parts will still be in English.

@KaijuKaiser I know now, I've looked it up. Apparently "gacha" is like the sound the arm of the toy makes when catching of those capsules.
But still, "gotcha games" fits well! : )

While the backgrounds of the new one are beautiful, the characters look horrendous!

As for the Remaster of the first one : hopefully it's at the level of this classic. And maybe now I'll finish it, as it's one of these games I played when I was young, but never even came close to the end..

"anticipated gacha" is the kind of expression that pisses me off... a lot! Because it should an oxymoron, but sadly it's not.

As an aside, I've just researched the term and I was absolutely sure before that "gacha" meant "got you" ("gotcha")... I mean, I was wrong, but it fits pretty well I'd say!

@RudeAnimat0r Hey, slightly disagreeing is the best way to interact on comment sections, I find! : )

Your approach of stereotype to show "not what they are, but what they are not" is interesting and I'll think about it a bit more.

I guess I have seen characters like these in different media a bit too much these days to not think that they are exactly what the stereotype is generally representing, but if we try to put ourselves in the devs' head, maybe you're right and it's just them trying to diverge from more "classic" designs...

Still, the info brought by @Sanquine about this game and dev being supported by the EU makes me think the inclusivity checklist. I work for an institution of the EU and I can tell : there's nothing more them technocrats love more than a good checklist. And be sure that no budget would be allowed without said checklist being fully filled (even if it's not that way in reality, the check must be there!).

But I agree that 1 trailer alone isn't enough to be definitive. Still, what they decide to show is on what we base our opinion, so it's on them to convince us that their game is more than just a checklist.

@RudeAnimat0r I'll rephrase a bit since my previous comment was removed : my take has absolutely nothing to do with sexuality, but with the misuse of stereotypes.

Stereotypes are useful for artists not to make relatable character, but to make a point efficiently and rapidly. The use of the stereotypes in this games doesn't seem, in my opinion, to make a positive point, but more to signal an adherence to certain ESH criteria.

@Luigia I never got on to the gyro bandwagon, always seemed clunky, but I'm open to try. Do you know of a PS5 game that you'd recommend playing with gyro?

@Geep I'd say purely artistically, I agree with you (although there quite a few stunner on PS3). But gameplay-wise there are really few PS2-era games that hold their ground compared to current games in the same genre.

Do you have some PS2 games in mind that still hold up as they are?

For me, there would be the 2 God of War games (even though GOW3 blew them out of the water), Dragon Quest VIII (even though DQXI is far better) and Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (fingers crossed DBZBT4 will be great!).

@PixelDragon The reboots failed completely at what they set up to do : a realistic, almost survival, approach to the character... yeah that didn't last 15 minutes into the game.

I'd love a remake of the first Tomb Raider with the same focused gameplay, but with modernized controls, graphics and sounds.

I yearn for simpler games, and this is why some of my favorite games these last years are things like Dead Cells or Slay the Spire. These massive AAA games too often feel so bloated by unnecessary mechanics...

@Smiffy01 On this I agree 100%. I'm currently prone to say the late PS3, early PS4 era was the best, with all the modern gaming without most of the messed up BS we get today!

@RudeAnimat0r As far as I can see in this trailer, these characters look like how people think a stereotypically woke person should look, talk and behave. Now I'm not saying people like this don't exist at all, but I really doubt the general gaming audience will recognize themselves in these characters.

The whole game, characters included, smells of corporate wokeness, of a checklist needed to get budget or to be consider for awards and so on. I may be wrong, but we've seen enough examples of this to make it plausible.

This added to some technical issues like you pointed, it doesn't bode well for the game.

@PixelDragon Fair enough! : )

@Sil_Am I agree, but we've seen many times wonderful ideas and artistic talents wasted by a lack of rigorous development process.

I guess we need all of these (talent, vision, direction, ingenuity, rigor, money, and so on) to get these fantastic games we get (which explains why we get so few of exceptional games!). And I really want this game to be just that!

@PixelDragon Hey, calm down, I'm not making "wild assumptions" and I'm speaking for myself alone.

Of course some people will disagree, and I may even be completely wrong and all these may well end up being bestsellers, who knows.

But just by saying what I feel about these games, and expressing a more generalized view of what I think the general gaming landscape is is not something to warrant such a reaction, let's just talk about it.

I am also what you could call a retro gamer (but just in his early 40s!), as I love to go back to old games I've played (and some I've missed). But every time I do this, I have to acknowledge how far games have gone and how hard it is to play some of these old games. And to me, these early 3D games are the worst culprit of aged graphics + insufferable gameplay.

Every once and a while I get this nostalgia rush and I go play the first Tomb Raider or Unreal Tournament. And while I see why they were fantastic at that time, no way I can play them more than an hour before being frustrated.

@Geep Let me guess, you were a teenager at that time? : )

No issue with people loving it, but I will maintain that these games have almost no appeal to anyone who hasn't played them back then (and those who just really don't want to go through the torture again), unlike the pixel art ones of the generation before that can be still playable today with just a bit of quality of life added.

I said a few months ago that we will be flushed by remasters/ports of games from the early 3D era, or new games in the same vein, because the people who feel nostalgia for it are now full fledged devs (and producers love to bet on nostalgia).

And now here we go : Quake 2, Dark Forces, Turok 3 and so on.

I have played through this generation of games and how I don't want to go back to it one bit. This is what almost took me out of the hobby in the late 90s/early 2000s. People have to understand these early 3D games haven't aged as well as the pixel art ones from the 16-bit gen. If they are going to do them, a full on remake is needed. "Remastering" isn't enough.

Just for example, I really wonder how many people who bought the Quake 2 remaster will play more than a few hours of it. I'd love if the devs would put these stats up at some point.

@Sanquine Thanks! This explains a lot actually!

@Sanquine I'll say I'm not surprised that this is funded by the EU, but do you have the source for this?

Here are my sincere, heartfelt and constructive impressions of this game based on the trailer :

The characters are extremely stereotypical, the devs would be well to try and make characters that feels more relatable to a wider audience.

The general design is trying to appeal to what people think the 20 somethings like. Seeing what is selling today in the entertainment industry, I doubt this is really the case. They could really tone down the, again, stereotypical use of color, clothes and accessories we see in the video.

3-The voice over is trying to be smart by using the "Words have power" sentence in 2 ways : the way the game is played and the view that language is one of the main way power expresses itself in our society. While the try is not bad in itself, combined with all the on the nose stereotypes shown here, this, imo, will be too much for a lot of people. Shoving an ideology down people's throat rarely works in a game.

So unless they are really aiming for a very small and specific audience, it seems the devs are damning their game to failure, which I find sad as I wish success to every video game devs as I love this hobby.

The art looks really great! But the movement and fighting feels slow and very generic. Hopefully they'll manage to add more complexity, and maybe some speed, to it.

I really hope this will end up great! It has all what I want : a slick action RPG in an expensive anime world with a gripping story... Fingers crossed this will give us everything we hope for.
In some ways, all these delays are maybe a good thing, this could mean the devs are taking the task seriously!

@deathaxe @TheMysticOne Thanks!

@BeerIsAwesome "Players will play as both the famous Hercule Poirot and his new sidekick"

I understand by this that this new sidekick is an equal (at least equal enough to warrant gameplay as her). Not just a side character meant to elevate Poirot, as was mainly the role of his many sidekicks.
I really wonder how they will manage Poirot's ego with him working with someone else, if this someone is close to his abilities.

I have read most of Poirot's stories, but not all : do you know of a story where he's working in tandem with another detective of equal (or at least close to equal) abilities?

"the famous Hercule Poirot and his new sidekick Joanna Locke"
Do we really need to shoehorn "sidekicks" (female or not) to iconic fictional characters for "reasons"? And here, this is so on the nose : after Joan Watson for Sherlock Holmes in Elementary, here comes Joanna Locke for Hercule Poirot...

Doesn't bode well but I'll keep an eye on it, I'm a sucker for good detective games...

"Unnecessary gear system"
This seems to be one of the main problem of all big budget games nowadays. Almost every game has a plethora a gear, divided in small parts, that you can upgrade, modify and so on. Most games absolutely don't need this, as it only add tedium to what should be action.

@LordOfTurnips Don't get me wrong, I know emulation is generally not used by people who already own the game, and I fully condone this, especially when the systems and games are not officially available. I was just pointing out a technicality.
But I'm with you on emulation, there is no chance in hell I will buy the games I played on my Master System or my SNES 30+ years ago! : )
And yes, f*** Konami!

@LifeGirl Emulation is not technically illegal if you own the game you're playing. At least, it's a grey area and will depend on the console, the producer and the means used to emulate.

And torrents have not disappeared... why would you think this?

I have tried this series multiple times. I have tried to play MGS1 3 times. I have tried MGS2, MGS3 and MGS5.

The franchise has everything I should enjoy : stealth action, over the top cutscenes, interesting esthetics.

But somehow, it never clicked. I always felt the games to be clunky and relying too much on try and error. I know it must be me, but still...

To the subject of this article... I mean... what did we really expect from Konami?

Thanks, and fair enough about the Fate game!

And a Made in Abyss game as good as the Fairy Tail RPG would be my dream... but alas, we got this weird abomination of a game a few months ago...

@UltimateOtaku91 Thx for the reply!

Even in musou games, some are better than others. The franchise of course is important there, but also the specific mechanics the games will add. Good enough graphics are a plus.

So if you take away the franchise (you admitted being a Fate fan), I really don't see what could make this game different : the fighting mechanics look very simple and generic, the graphics look good in screenshots, but a lot less good in motion.

And even if you consider yourself a fan of the franchise, is this really what you expect from it? For example, I'm a big Fairy Tail fan, and I absolutely loved the Fairy Tail RPG that came out in 2020. It was everything a fan could expect, but I wouldn't have hyped it up for anyone else than the fans.

So is this a simple discussion of musou fans against non musou fans? Or even just a Fate fans vs non fate fans? Because I enjoy a good musou now and then, and I've enjoyed some of the Fate animes, but I still don't see what looks good enough in this game that a bunch of outlets are hyping it up... I'm just curious as to why it's happening... If the author of this article is a Fate fan and this is the reason he's loving what he's seeing, he should mention it, and not make readers think there is anything special in this game beyond the franchise.