And here we go, what I was dreading for. After the (imo) great 16-bit nostalgia and a plethora of pixel-art games, the next generation of gamers/developpers are bringing the PS1-era 3D graphics nostalgia.
And oh my god how I don't want to go back to that time! While I acknowledge the importance of these first steps in the 3D gaming space, the games from that time look absolutely terrible and are completely unplayable.
Game devs, please, just skip the nostalgia of that time (or at least go the remake route like Final Fantasy VII or the Resident Evil games)!
@Stevemalkpus But it would be even better as a classic multiplayer (both local and online) focused game with a nice little single player campaign on the top, without any MTX or season passes, wouldn't it?
@Martijn87 At least I agree with this. If a company is going to focus on online gaming, then at least it should invest in AI enough to create viable bots, and it should also make local multiplayer a priority. I should be able to play the game I bought offline, every mode of it, and that's it.
@get2sammyb I have considered that, I just don't believe it to be true. This is the BS these companies would have us believe (akin to "but these MTX are just cosmetics, so it's ok").
What are these fantastic single player EA games you're talking about?
Star Wars Jedi? We've seen the state in which the new game launched. And it's a franchise game, so income is expected.
Dead Space? A remake of a 15 year old game. Good yes, but no risk taken, smaller budget and production time, etc.
Last time I saw EA publish a single player game with a new IP was Lost in Random in 2021, and while very enjoyable, it didn't have an AAA game budget.
If these GaaS become the main income by a large margin of gaming companies, don't you think it will hurt good single player (and even non GaaS multiplayer) gaming in the long term?
Look at EA : Live services and other net bookings for the trailing twelve months were up 4% year-over-year and represent 75% of total net bookings. At Ubisoft : Digital Net Bookings represent almost 85% of their total net bookings, with more than 50% being their back catalogue. Blizzard Activision : In Game Net Bookings represent 74% of total Net Bookings
Do you generally like what these 3 big companies are doing in the gaming space?
I tried Riders Republic the other day, and the UI and drip-feeding makes it so painful to play. Even games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Grid Legends have the same look : you don't simply play the game, you engage in a system that, at best, nudges every time to look at what you've opened up, to go through multiples menus and shops, to handle multiple currencies, follow daily and weekly repetitive objectives, gain access to miserable items, etc.
Just give us games we play, even multiplayer ones, not games we have to continue purchasing all while we partly play them.
Between GaaS, subscriptions and games launching before being ready, modern gaming is really going the wrong route, and I'm seriously questioning more and more the personal investment I'm ready to put in it.
@TrickyDicky99 Exactly. I haven't bought a game day one since the start of the PS4. Why pay a game full price when it's buggy, technically less impressive and incomplete, if you can buy the polished full edition with all the bells and whistles and the additional content a few months down the line... for half the price? Unless the game is solely focused on multiplayer and is a game as a service, I really don't see the point. Even if someone's very hyped for the game and can't wait to play it, don't they want to play its best version?
As a standalone, it would be 8/10 (incredible production values, very fun gameplay but very weak story).
As an Expansion, it would be 5/10, as I would have expected more new things. I really got the feeling I was just playing a little more of HFW, and nothing really made me go "wow, that new and inventive".
@Darude84 Same experience here. It is very similar to when I had played the first Dark Souls and it ruined other action games for more than a year, or when I went deep into Red Dead Redemption 2 and it killed open-world games for quite some time.
But now it's worse with Elden Ring, I have to force myself to not play it when I turn on my PS5, just so I can play other games.
Almost every time, my brain's reply to "what would I enjoy more, another playthrough of Elden Ring with another build or playing another game I've never played?" is... Elden Ring.
@GrimReaper I agree. We're heading into a big wall in gaming. With Games as a Service and repetitive uninspired games, plus smaller studios being absorbed left and right, the next 5 to 10 years are going to be rough (with, as always, a few exceptional games). Hopefully, this will help reboot the industry and get us something really new and exciting. I'd bet at that time, VR tech will be sufficiently developed and cheap to be part of this new age of gaming.
This is sad. I mean, in a way, I guess I'm happy for the devs who must have got the deal of a lifetime with this. But as other have said, there's no way all these acquisition will help make future games more diverse and interesting.
After all this time (the game series started on PS3), isn't it time to reboot it with new graphics, more dynamic and modern gameplay, better integration of the story, more diverse modes, etc?
So what is the general thought about Riders Republic now that it's been out for a while? Bad MTX riddle stupid Ubisoft game? or Fun sports game to launch from time to time?
(precision : I'm not interested in general in multiplayer games)
The numbers for Baldur's Gate 3 make me giddy. Especially when you take out Suicide Squad and Naruto, which garnered numbers based on brand recognition, not actual expectation about the game. But I'm sad about Before Your Eyes : this game is a prime example of what gaming (and VR gaming) can develop narrative experience beyond all other media.
Question from a potential buyer here : I have to wear my glasses even while playing in VR. How is the PSVR2 with glasses? To compare, I could wear the PSVR1 with my glasses, but the lens pushed on the glasses a bit, and it wasn't a perfectly tight fit.
@tallythwack I'm with you on both games : I played enough basic games like Vampire Survivor in my time, we're in 2023, I expect more. And if your gameplay is simple, at least balance it with graphics and sound. As for Stray, the game is ok-ish. But what I don't get is that it misses its main selling point : the way the cat moves. The button press to get to point B is so limited it's a joke the Devs tried to bet on it. Again, in 2022, we should expect a more tactile, more immersive way of playing as a cat interacting with its environment. But I guess we're just grumpy old men...
Oh and I've just noticed : Elden Ring not even nominated for art direction... riiiight... (sorry for the negative vibes, I've got a terrible headache, this is my "b*tching about incredibly small issues" day)
That was one of the few disappointing showcases of the State of Play. Really, in 2023 a barely changed rehash of games that go back to 2008 on the PS3? A new game reframing the whole Naruto/Boruto story, with modern graphics and gameplay would have been nice (a little bit like they did with Lego Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga).
Can someone explain to someone who hasn't followed the drama for a while what exactly the loss of the FIFA license means for EA? The logo and branding is gone. The official national teams are a no no, I guess. But didn't all the other leagues and players already need specific licenses?
@lankieBD Nope. Right now, I can't even add wallet funds. I can only buy games. And Playstation Support is very far from being helpful. All their answers have been copy-pasted non solutions, and now nothing since last week. Go figure.
@ChrisDeku Sadly you can't buy cards to fund your wallet in the Turkish PS Store, as far as I know. I guess they know it's cheaper than most stores, so they do their best to stop people taking advantage of it. And I'm not the kind of people brave enough to trust weird 3rd party sites selling "Turkish PSN gift codes" or other things like that...
Well, I'm happy with this month. Since I can't renew my PS+ Deluxe subscription because Sony's not accepting my credit card payments (but only for subscriptions and wallet funds, buying games is no problem, go figure), this is the perfect month to not get anything interesting for me. Still, absolutely incredible that Sony can't figure a way to make sure its loyal customers can simply get their subscriptions from its store...
Great little fun colorful alien fps with exploration (emphasis on the "fun" part of the equation, it is genuinely funny, especially in its art design). Great to get the PS5 version for free.
Is it confirmed you get it for free even if you don't own the DLC on PS4?
@Vacuumator Apparently not an aesthetic decision : "Mazin explained. "For instance, little things like the spores. In the game, there are these where you encounter spores and you need to put a gas mask on. In the world that we're creating, if we put spores in the air, it would be pretty clear that they would spread around everywhere and everybody would have to wear a mask all the time and probably everybody would be completely infected by that point. So, we challenged ourselves to come up with an interesting new way for the fungus to spread but mostly I think we just connected with the soul and spirit of the game."
Holy crap have you seen the last bit of info : the infection will not be spread by spores, but by tendrils?! WTH! Really? That doesn't make any kind of sense (because fungus), and takes out a lot of the tension that comes with the way the infection spreads. I'm getting even more skeptical as the release gets closer and closer... https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-cordyceps-infection-explained-neil-druckmann-craig-mazin-comments/
@frabbit I'm wondering the same. Is it 2 more PSVR Sense controllers but at an odd angle? But there seem to be a piece more... Also, on the last picture, what are the headphones used? Sony Pulse?
@Th3solution Fair enough for the story summary criticism : ) As for the GoW2018 story, the thing is the Baldur subplot doesn't really evolves during the game, and the Atreus twist doesn't make any sense, nor does it have a real impact on the story. I replayed the game last month, mainly because I thought I may have been wrong during my first playthrough, but there is really nothing important or original happening the whole time. And I enjoy cryptic stories as much as straightforward ones. The Uncharted games are good examples of clear and direct stories I enjoyed a lot. But for a redemption arc to work, you need a good motivation, and a good starting point. The Kratos of the old GoW games was a fantastic character : a man consumed by rage fueled by anger, guilt and ambition. As a player, we accompanied him on this mighty rise and fall, to the point that the 3rd game ends with us (the player and Kratos) letting our rage explodes in Zeus' face until we had to realise we both had been consumed by it. The gameplay was in line with the character arc, which made it much more impactful, and the ending was perfect. At no point during GoW2018 did the gameplay even come close to give the redemption arc any weight. Atreus was just a gimmick to stagger enemies or solve puzzles. It would have been interesting to have the 2 character relationship impact the gameplay (a bit in the same way as in The Last Guardian, for example). Without this, the relationship felt hollow and superficial, and therefore the story felt uninteresting as it resolved around the relationship. Take out the production values, and I really don't think the GoW2018 is that good. It would have been elevated if it had detached itself from the original GoW games and presented us with a new protagonist and a new context. But I'm glad people enjoy the game and I'm not trying to take away anything from them. I just want to be the voice of those who didn't do as much, we need to be heard too! : )
@whitejessegpfc I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the sense of wonder of the last third. Crumbling Azula and the Haligtree were amazing, the Fire Giant and Malenia are some of the most incredible bosses in gaming (imo). But I can understand why someone would not feel the same. But about the respec, I have to disagree : you can absolutely finish the game without respecing even once if you're careful about how you level up. Now, I can see how a new player would mess up their build, and Fromsoft games are a lot less lenient about this than other RPGs due to their difficulty, but that's why the respec is easy to access. My first run was a pure strength one, and I never felt the need to respec. Same for my run as a pure int mage. But yes, some builds will be more difficult to master, or easier to mess up, than others. As with everything in ER, it's on the player to own up to their mistakes. ; )
@whitejessegpfc How is Elden Ring's last third a slog?
You can easily respec your character and upgrade new weapons to have a completely different feel of the game, the NPC quests become more and more interesting and emotional, there is a massive secret area that brings you to the arguably best boss of the game, and I'm still discovering new secrets in every areas of the game even at my 3rd playthrough.
Maybe it comes down to how someone plays the game, I guess, which is understandable. I felt the slog when playing Persona 5 and had to quit it at 50 hours, which would seem pure heresy to many here! : )
@Rob_230 You scare me even more now, as I have yet to play Ragnarok.
One of the biggest flaw imo of GoW2018 was its story : I found it very shallow ("They go to the top of a mountain to bury the mother's ashes. The end.") with very few plot twists or interesting character development.
Without the incredible production values and the fantastic voice actors, I think nobody would have thought the story was any good, as it isn't.
And now you're saying Ragnarok's story is even less interesting... that doesn't bode well.
I'd say I hope the world design and the general gameplay is better, but as far as I've heard, it's not the case. Except for he combat which is still very good (even though more weapons would have been appreciated).
I am one of these few (too few, sadly)outliers who still thinks the GoW reboot made the franchise worse, and that GoW3 was its pinnacle. Santa Monica should have gone full reboot with a new protagonist, or even a full new IP... in my opinion, of course! : )
Happy new year to everyone!
I don't understand the outrage. This a typical case of a an ex-employee giving in a very awkward way the results of his reflection on what he see as a failure. Part self-criticism (the game being buggy), part criticism of what he perceived as a lack of professionalism (in 2 different ways) of some reviewers who influenced the critical reception. What is so outrageous to warrant such a negative response? It's just his opinion. And it's not offensive nor even weird, it's simply an opinion. Couldn't everyone just calm down and let the tweet disappear into oblivion, as most tweets do by themselves?
Comments 984
Re: PS1 Survival Horror Returns in The Tartarus Key, Out for PS5, PS4 on 31st May
And here we go, what I was dreading for. After the (imo) great 16-bit nostalgia and a plethora of pixel-art games, the next generation of gamers/developpers are bringing the PS1-era 3D graphics nostalgia.
And oh my god how I don't want to go back to that time! While I acknowledge the importance of these first steps in the 3D gaming space, the games from that time look absolutely terrible and are completely unplayable.
Game devs, please, just skip the nostalgia of that time (or at least go the remake route like Final Fantasy VII or the Resident Evil games)!
Re: Sony: We're Not Just Creating 10 Live Service Destiny or Fortnite Games
@Stevemalkpus But it would be even better as a classic multiplayer (both local and online) focused game with a nice little single player campaign on the top, without any MTX or season passes, wouldn't it?
Re: Sony: We're Not Just Creating 10 Live Service Destiny or Fortnite Games
@Wheatly "a game can have love service elements"
Now you're talking! : )
Re: Sony: We're Not Just Creating 10 Live Service Destiny or Fortnite Games
@Martijn87 At least I agree with this. If a company is going to focus on online gaming, then at least it should invest in AI enough to create viable bots, and it should also make local multiplayer a priority.
I should be able to play the game I bought offline, every mode of it, and that's it.
Re: Sony: We're Not Just Creating 10 Live Service Destiny or Fortnite Games
@get2sammyb I have considered that, I just don't believe it to be true. This is the BS these companies would have us believe (akin to "but these MTX are just cosmetics, so it's ok").
What are these fantastic single player EA games you're talking about?
Star Wars Jedi? We've seen the state in which the new game launched. And it's a franchise game, so income is expected.
Dead Space? A remake of a 15 year old game. Good yes, but no risk taken, smaller budget and production time, etc.
Last time I saw EA publish a single player game with a new IP was Lost in Random in 2021, and while very enjoyable, it didn't have an AAA game budget.
Re: Sony: We're Not Just Creating 10 Live Service Destiny or Fortnite Games
@C25CLOUD This argument doesn't make sense to me.
If these GaaS become the main income by a large margin of gaming companies, don't you think it will hurt good single player (and even non GaaS multiplayer) gaming in the long term?
Look at EA : Live services and other net bookings for the trailing twelve months were up 4% year-over-year and represent 75% of total net bookings.
At Ubisoft : Digital Net Bookings represent almost 85% of their total net bookings, with more than 50% being their back catalogue.
Blizzard Activision : In Game Net Bookings represent 74% of total Net Bookings
Do you generally like what these 3 big companies are
doing in the gaming space?
Re: Sony: We're Not Just Creating 10 Live Service Destiny or Fortnite Games
My god how I hate GaaS with all my heart.
I tried Riders Republic the other day, and the UI and drip-feeding makes it so painful to play. Even games like Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Grid Legends have the same look : you don't simply play the game, you engage in a system that, at best, nudges every time to look at what you've opened up, to go through multiples menus and shops, to handle multiple currencies, follow daily and weekly repetitive objectives, gain access to miserable items, etc.
Just give us games we play, even multiplayer ones, not games we have to continue purchasing all while we partly play them.
Between GaaS, subscriptions and games launching before being ready, modern gaming is really going the wrong route, and I'm seriously questioning more and more the personal investment I'm ready to put in it.
Re: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor PS5 Bugs Will Be Squashed Across Weeks of Patches
@TrickyDicky99 Exactly. I haven't bought a game day one since the start of the PS4.
Why pay a game full price when it's buggy, technically less impressive and incomplete, if you can buy the polished full edition with all the bells and whistles and the additional content a few months down the line... for half the price?
Unless the game is solely focused on multiplayer and is a game as a service, I really don't see the point. Even if someone's very hyped for the game and can't wait to play it, don't they want to play its best version?
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores?
@AtlanteanMan Very well said!
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores?
It depends.
As a standalone, it would be 8/10 (incredible production values, very fun gameplay but very weak story).
As an Expansion, it would be 5/10, as I would have expected more new things. I really got the feeling I was just playing a little more of HFW, and nothing really made me go "wow, that new and inventive".
Re: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Development Is Further Along Than You Might Think
@Darude84 Same experience here. It is very similar to when I had played the first Dark Souls and it ruined other action games for more than a year, or when I went deep into Red Dead Redemption 2 and it killed open-world games for quite some time.
But now it's worse with Elden Ring, I have to force myself to not play it when I turn on my PS5, just so I can play other games.
Almost every time, my brain's reply to "what would I enjoy more, another playthrough of Elden Ring with another build or playing another game I've never played?" is... Elden Ring.
A real masterpiece.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West's Burning Shores DLC Is Getting Review Bombed on PS5
@GrimReaper I agree. We're heading into a big wall in gaming. With Games as a Service and repetitive uninspired games, plus smaller studios being absorbed left and right, the next 5 to 10 years are going to be rough (with, as always, a few exceptional games).
Hopefully, this will help reboot the industry and get us something really new and exciting. I'd bet at that time, VR tech will be sufficiently developed and cheap to be part of this new age of gaming.
Re: Horizon Chase Turbo Dev Purchased by Epic Games to Flesh Out Fortnite
This is sad. I mean, in a way, I guess I'm happy for the devs who must have got the deal of a lifetime with this.
But as other have said, there's no way all these acquisition will help make future games more diverse and interesting.
Re: Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Confirms New Characters, 'Special' Story Mode
I still can't believe how lazy this is!
After all this time (the game series started on PS3), isn't it time to reboot it with new graphics, more dynamic and modern gameplay, better integration of the story, more diverse modes, etc?
Re: 16 Games Hit PS Plus Extra, Premium Next Week
So what is the general thought about Riders Republic now that it's been out for a while?
Bad MTX riddle stupid Ubisoft game?
or
Fun sports game to launch from time to time?
(precision : I'm not interested in general in multiplayer games)
Re: Mini Review: Last Labyrinth (PSVR2) - Tediously Torturous Escape Room Experience
"The menu is comprehensible"
What more could you want, really??
Re: Lords of the Fallen Looks Ridiculously Good on PS5
@Orishibu Yeah, no way this isn't on a very high end PC.
Ready for the "downgrade scandal videos" à la Watch_Dogs?! : )
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for March 2023?
Don't sleep on Rage 2. It still holds up very well and is one of the best examples of open-world fps (imo).
Re: Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6 the Big Winners from State of Play
The numbers for Baldur's Gate 3 make me giddy. Especially when you take out Suicide Squad and Naruto, which garnered numbers based on brand recognition, not actual expectation about the game.
But I'm sad about Before Your Eyes : this game is a prime example of what gaming (and VR gaming) can develop narrative experience beyond all other media.
Re: PSVR2 Early Adopters Are Struggling to Find the Sweet Spot
Question from a potential buyer here : I have to wear my glasses even while playing in VR. How is the PSVR2 with glasses?
To compare, I could wear the PSVR1 with my glasses, but the lens pushed on the glasses a bit, and it wasn't a perfectly tight fit.
Re: God of War Ragnarok Cleans Up at DICE Awards, Elden Ring Takes Game of the Year
@tallythwack I'm with you on both games :
I played enough basic games like Vampire Survivor in my time, we're in 2023, I expect more. And if your gameplay is simple, at least balance it with graphics and sound.
As for Stray, the game is ok-ish. But what I don't get is that it misses its main selling point : the way the cat moves. The button press to get to point B is so limited it's a joke the Devs tried to bet on it. Again, in 2022, we should expect a more tactile, more immersive way of playing as a cat interacting with its environment.
But I guess we're just grumpy old men...
Re: God of War Ragnarok Cleans Up at DICE Awards, Elden Ring Takes Game of the Year
Oh and I've just noticed : Elden Ring not even nominated for art direction... riiiight...
(sorry for the negative vibes, I've got a terrible headache, this is my "b*tching about incredibly small issues" day)
Re: Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connections Combines Every Storm Game into One Release
That was one of the few disappointing showcases of the State of Play. Really, in 2023 a barely changed rehash of games that go back to 2008 on the PS3?
A new game reframing the whole Naruto/Boruto story, with modern graphics and gameplay would have been nice (a little bit like they did with Lego Star Wars : The Skywalker Saga).
Re: EA Sports Closing on £500 Million Deal with English Premier League
@Wheatly Thanks a lot for the lengthy reply, very enlightening! : )
Re: EA Sports Closing on £500 Million Deal with English Premier League
Can someone explain to someone who hasn't followed the drama for a while what exactly the loss of the FIFA license means for EA?
The logo and branding is gone.
The official national teams are a no no, I guess.
But didn't all the other leagues and players already need specific licenses?
Re: Star Wars Jedi: Survivor Crash-Lands in Nine Minutes of New Gameplay
@TheLotteryMan1 Exactly! How could anyone look at these walking and running animation and think it looks good in any way???
Re: Upcoming PS5 Action RPG The Lords of the Fallen Gets Some Impressive New Screenshots
I really hope this turns out good. FromSoft is so far ahead right now in the genre they created, a bit of competition would be welcome.
Re: Rumour: PS Plus Essential PS5, PS4 Games for February 2023 Leaked Early
@lankieBD Nope. Right now, I can't even add wallet funds. I can only buy games.
And Playstation Support is very far from being helpful. All their answers have been copy-pasted non solutions, and now nothing since last week. Go figure.
Re: Thea Trinidad Comes Off the Top Rope for Real-Time Commentary in Street Fighter 6
Damn this is annoying!!! Thankfully it is optional, hopefully in every mode.
Re: Rumour: PS Plus Essential PS5, PS4 Games for February 2023 Leaked Early
@daveofduncan I am actually Turkish
Re: Rumour: PS Plus Essential PS5, PS4 Games for February 2023 Leaked Early
@ChrisDeku Sadly you can't buy cards to fund your wallet in the Turkish PS Store, as far as I know. I guess they know it's cheaper than most stores, so they do their best to stop people taking advantage of it.
And I'm not the kind of people brave enough to trust weird 3rd party sites selling "Turkish PSN gift codes" or other things like that...
Re: Rumour: PS Plus Essential PS5, PS4 Games for February 2023 Leaked Early
Well, I'm happy with this month. Since I can't renew my PS+ Deluxe subscription because Sony's not accepting my credit card payments (but only for subscriptions and wallet funds, buying games is no problem, go figure), this is the perfect month to not get anything interesting for me.
Still, absolutely incredible that Sony can't figure a way to make sure its loyal customers can simply get their subscriptions from its store...
Re: Journey to the Savage Planet Coming to PS5 with Employee of the Month Edition
Great little fun colorful alien fps with exploration (emphasis on the "fun" part of the equation, it is genuinely funny, especially in its art design). Great to get the PS5 version for free.
Is it confirmed you get it for free even if you don't own the DLC on PS4?
Re: Skull and Bones Currently Unavailable to Pre-Order via PS Store, Refunds Issued
Must be going free-to-play, right?
Re: Granblue Fantasy: Relink Still Looks Superb, Still No Release Date
Very very optimistic about this title. I hope it turns out as good as the trailer makes us think...
Re: Skull and Bones Delayed Yet Again as Ubisoft Cancels Three Games
Aaaa h Ubisoft and its ever changing ways of doing games... like we still have an ounce of trust towards you :
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-is-making-changes-to-ensure-its-games-feel-more-distinct/
https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ubisoft-says-its-changing-strategy-to-focus-on-more-high-end-free-to-play-games/
https://cryptobriefing.com/ubisoft-invests-in-crypto-startup-has-play-to-earn-plans/
The last Ubisoft game I enjoyed was Immortals : Fenix Rising, and even this wasn't that incredible, just fun.
Re: Where to Watch The Last of Us TV Show
@Vacuumator Apparently not an aesthetic decision :
"Mazin explained. "For instance, little things like the spores. In the game, there are these where you encounter spores and you need to put a gas mask on. In the world that we're creating, if we put spores in the air, it would be pretty clear that they would spread around everywhere and everybody would have to wear a mask all the time and probably everybody would be completely infected by that point. So, we challenged ourselves to come up with an interesting new way for the fungus to spread but mostly I think we just connected with the soul and spirit of the game."
Little things indeed... [facepalm]
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-last-of-us-spores-changed-games-tv-show-adaptation/
Re: Where to Watch The Last of Us TV Show
Holy crap have you seen the last bit of info : the infection will not be spread by spores, but by tendrils?!
WTH! Really? That doesn't make any kind of sense (because fungus), and takes out a lot of the tension that comes with the way the infection spreads.
I'm getting even more skeptical as the release gets closer and closer...
https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-cordyceps-infection-explained-neil-druckmann-craig-mazin-comments/
Re: Random: Streamer Beats Two Elden Ring Runs at the Same Time, Complete with a Dance Pad
Removed
Re: PSVR2 Demoed at CES, Horizon Call of the Mountain the Highlight
@frabbit I'm wondering the same. Is it 2 more PSVR Sense controllers but at an odd angle? But there seem to be a piece more...
Also, on the last picture, what are the headphones used? Sony Pulse?
Re: Random: You Can Play Horizon Forbidden West in Sony's Afeela EV Car
They have to stop with these rectangular ("yoke") driving wheels. There is no way this is as safe as full circle ones when you need to make quick hard turns in different directions.
https://slate.com/technology/2021/09/tesla-yoke-steering-wheel-safety.html
Re: Game of the Year: Sammy's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2022
@Th3solution Fair enough for the story summary criticism : )
As for the GoW2018 story, the thing is the Baldur subplot doesn't really evolves during the game, and the Atreus twist doesn't make any sense, nor does it have a real impact on the story. I replayed the game last month, mainly because I thought I may have been wrong during my first playthrough, but there is really nothing important or original happening the whole time.
And I enjoy cryptic stories as much as straightforward ones. The Uncharted games are good examples of clear and direct stories I enjoyed a lot. But for a redemption arc to work, you need a good motivation, and a good starting point.
The Kratos of the old GoW games was a fantastic character : a man consumed by rage fueled by anger, guilt and ambition. As a player, we accompanied him on this mighty rise and fall, to the point that the 3rd game ends with us (the player and Kratos) letting our rage explodes in Zeus' face until we had to realise we both had been consumed by it. The gameplay was in line with the character arc, which made it much more impactful, and the ending was perfect.
At no point during GoW2018 did the gameplay even come close to give the redemption arc any weight. Atreus was just a gimmick to stagger enemies or solve puzzles. It would have been interesting to have the 2 character relationship impact the gameplay (a bit in the same way as in The Last Guardian, for example). Without this, the relationship felt hollow and superficial, and therefore the story felt uninteresting as it resolved around the relationship.
Take out the production values, and I really don't think the GoW2018 is that good. It would have been elevated if it had detached itself from the original GoW games and presented us with a new protagonist and a new context.
But I'm glad people enjoy the game and I'm not trying to take away anything from them. I just want to be the voice of those who didn't do as much, we need to be heard too! : )
Re: Game of the Year: Sammy's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2022
@whitejessegpfc I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on the sense of wonder of the last third. Crumbling Azula and the Haligtree were amazing, the Fire Giant and Malenia are some of the most incredible bosses in gaming (imo). But I can understand why someone would not feel the same.
But about the respec, I have to disagree : you can absolutely finish the game without respecing even once if you're careful about how you level up. Now, I can see how a new player would mess up their build, and Fromsoft games are a lot less lenient about this than other RPGs due to their difficulty, but that's why the respec is easy to access. My first run was a pure strength one, and I never felt the need to respec. Same for my run as a pure int mage. But yes, some builds will be more difficult to master, or easier to mess up, than others. As with everything in ER, it's on the player to own up to their mistakes. ; )
Re: Game of the Year: Sammy's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2022
@whitejessegpfc How is Elden Ring's last third a slog?
You can easily respec your character and upgrade new weapons to have a completely different feel of the game, the NPC quests become more and more interesting and emotional, there is a massive secret area that brings you to the arguably best boss of the game, and I'm still discovering new secrets in every areas of the game even at my 3rd playthrough.
Maybe it comes down to how someone plays the game, I guess, which is understandable. I felt the slog when playing Persona 5 and had to quit it at 50 hours, which would seem pure heresy to many here! : )
Re: Game of the Year: Sammy's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2022
@Rob_230 You scare me even more now, as I have yet to play Ragnarok.
One of the biggest flaw imo of GoW2018 was its story : I found it very shallow ("They go to the top of a mountain to bury the mother's ashes. The end.") with very few plot twists or interesting character development.
Without the incredible production values and the fantastic voice actors, I think nobody would have thought the story was any good, as it isn't.
And now you're saying Ragnarok's story is even less interesting... that doesn't bode well.
I'd say I hope the world design and the general gameplay is better, but as far as I've heard, it's not the case. Except for he combat which is still very good (even though more weapons would have been appreciated).
I am one of these few (too few, sadly)outliers who still thinks the GoW reboot made the franchise worse, and that GoW3 was its pinnacle. Santa Monica should have gone full reboot with a new protagonist, or even a full new IP... in my opinion, of course! : )
Happy new year to everyone!
Re: Game of the Year: Best PS5, PS4 Remake, Remaster, or Re-Release of 2022
Hmm, I'm just gonna leave this here :
The Stanley Parable : Ultra Deluxe
Re: Phew, Moogles Look Like Classic Moogles in Final Fantasy 16
@dschons No fight. You're right.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give The Callisto Protocol?
@Amusei @nomither6 Absolutely right!
I am dumb. This Friday evening. I am even dumber. Or I have to check my eyes. But I'd bet on being dumb for now.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give The Callisto Protocol?
@ShogunRock Please always add an option "I haven't played it yet", so that we can see the results without having to give a bogus grade.
Re: Sony Bend Distances Itself from Ex-Director, Thanks Fans for Days Gone Support
I don't understand the outrage. This a typical case of a an ex-employee giving in a very awkward way the results of his reflection on what he see as a failure.
Part self-criticism (the game being buggy), part criticism of what he perceived as a lack of professionalism (in 2 different ways) of some reviewers who influenced the critical reception.
What is so outrageous to warrant such a negative response? It's just his opinion. And it's not offensive nor even weird, it's simply an opinion. Couldn't everyone just calm down and let the tweet disappear into oblivion, as most tweets do by themselves?