PuppetMaster

@CielloArc Nerfing overpowered weapons and buff underused / underpowered weapons to make more balance-varied gameplay doesn't sounds like a wrong answer to me.

It's actually feels similar to fighting games where devs nerfed top tier characters that overtuned then buffed low-mid tier characters that needs help so more people wants to try those low-mid tier characters and also keeps the meta fresh.

@Shad361 So you need "actual sales numbers" when all the data gathered by people who's more capable than you showed the game did sold well? Lol, you clearly had beef with Astro Bot that you don't want to believe the game sold well.

And for AA games / platformers, 1 million copies already consider as sold well.

Amazon huh. I hope it doesn't sucks like Rings of Power.

@GymratAmarillo So you're saying "the FGC", the whole community, is a giant entitled a*hole? Lol.

I know some level headed people who plays fighting games on PC and they wouldn't waste their time review bombing the game if the patch nerfed their main or changed the mechanics. They'll complaint a bit but they will moved on to other characters or just adapt.

@Shad361 What's your beef with Astro Bot exactly?

You seems really annoyed that the game received positively and sold well worldwide.

So, is this means fighting games also got review bomb on PC / Steam every time a new balance patch come out?

@Bigmanfan No problem. Oh i forgot to add Evil West.

@Bigmanfan You want fun action games that isn't soulslike then try these games:

• Gungrave GORE
• Wanted: Dead
• Slave Zero X
• Wild Guns Reloaded
• Shadow of the Ninja Reborn
• Evil West

"If you [can become] AAA, you survive, or if you do something interesting in the indie space, you could. But AA is gone. I think that's a threat to the ecosystem if you will"

AA isn't gone. It's just the majority of gamers doesn't buy it because they're busy playing Fortnite, Genshin Impact, Apex, or whatever free live service games along with the yearly COD, FIFA, Madden, NBA, etc.

Gamers who plays Fortnite, Genshin, COD and FIFA just doesn't give a F* about AA games like Kunitsu Gami, Shadow of the Ninja Reborn, Unicorn Overlord, Metaphor, Gungrave Gore, Slave Zero X, or Astro Bot.

But Shawn has a point about the dip with creativity which i'm kinda agreed. But again, it's not fully the publishers / developers fault if they keep playing safe.

So Blizzard just copy & paste what Capcom did to Juri.

SH2R, Metaphor, Astro Bot, Stellar Blade, Helldivers 2, Rise of the Ronin, and now Space Marines 2 also sold well.

And a bit off topic but still about sales, RE4R just passed 8 million copies.

Great news. Now i wonder if Konami/Bloober gonna remake SH 1, 3, or 4...

Latest news that SH2R digital sales + shipment is 1 million copies
https://www.gematsu.com/2024/10/silent-hill-2-remake-shipments-and-digital-sales-top-one-million

I don't care about early access nor 'Ultimate Edition'. And i'm not rich enough to spend $100+ for one game.

@KoopaTheGamer I never hear any news about Sony required 3rd party devs to put their classic games behind PS+ Premium paywall. And no Sony PS1/PS2/PSP classic games locked behind the service either. But i guess Sony gave them the choice to do it.

Nice to see SH2R at no 2 but because of new releases now Astro Bot at no 12. Oh well, at least plenty of people are still buying physical copies.

@Lavishturtle "I think Sony had a hand in this bad idea"

I don't think Sony had their hand when every single Sony PS1, PS2, and PSP games has trophies, can be purchased without subs to PS+ Premium, and they also crossbuy with anyone who bought the classic from PS3/PSP/Vita.

So, this is pretty much Capcom decision to locked their games behind PS+ subs.

@Tecinthebrain "Also I don't see why for the movie they couldn't get the original voice actors"

Hiring Rami Malek alone will cost a lot of money. But i'm not sure if the actor wants to act in a slasher / horror movie after he won Academy Award.

@SrpskaArtilerija The only countries that Sony will avoid are Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Russia, Iran, and Ukraine because they're in war.

So, possibly Sony not yet find a good place in your country that fit with the world tour schedule. That's why they will announce more countries / cities down the line. I mean, organizing a world tour with 200 cities around the world is definitely not easy.

This report seems pretty hard to believe, especially after Bamco games like Tekken 8, DB Sparkling, Tales of Arise, Elden Ring etc etc did well worldwide.

Bamco financial report shows they're in great condition with profits increased 56% for Q1 FY25.
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/bandai-namco-profits-rose-56-during-q1-fy25

Again, i always take Bloomberg report with a grain of salt especially when they used anon sources.

@SrpskaArtilerija Relax, this isn't the complete list. This is from PS Blog:

"The global tour launches with a world premiere on April 15, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland, before heading to more than 200 cities across Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, and beyond. Whilst we are only announcing European dates at this time, be assured we’ll be announcing other world locations very soon."

It's a cool idea to celebrate PS 30th anniversary. But my guess is the ticket will be expensives. I mean, no way Sony gonna charge low price for a musical concert.

I'll put this on my wishlist. I played it back in PS2 days but i never get the chance to finish it because i got distracted with other games.

Imho it's one of the best survival horror games because the atmosphere is so fkin creepy and also great story.

Added to the fact the enemies, called Shibito, can't be killed too. Every encounter with these bad mf's are pretty intense even if your character have weapons. The only thing you can do is either distract them, knocked them out, or hide.

Unfortunately the game has flaws like clunky control and pretty challenging gameplay that required some trial and error. So, the western reviewers slammed down this game pretty hard with low-mid scores.

Anyway. Sony made this creepy live action commercial for Siren.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g-4Eew0YAwM&pp=ygUaRm9yYmlkZGVuIFNpcmVuIGNvbW1lcmNpYWw%3D

I was excited to play Dino Crisis but when i opened up PS store, the game isn't free for anyone who own PS1 Classic ver but also it can't be buy individually aka you must subs to PS+ Premium / Deluxe to played it, the same with RE Director's Cut. Like WTF Capcom?! :/

sigh. i guess i try to finish some of my backlog...

I already played Japan demo. I think it's a pretty fun Ys game and a breath of fresh air to go back to solo Adol or this time just only two playable characters after 4 games straight (Ys VII, Celceta, VIII, and IX) with a party of 3 characters.

Honestly, as much as i had fun with Ys IX, at the end of the game i just felt tired changing back and forth between Adol and the other 2 characters just to match the enemies weakness.

Also, i can't believe a Ys game have ship exploration and combat :3

A visual novel perhaps?

I can't think it's an action game or fighting game lol

@ryanburnsred "Drake walks away with nothing"

Actually. The 1st game has Drake, Sully, and Elena walks away with a bunch of treasure chest from El Dorado. For the 2nd game, Drake walks away with Elena which the lesson behind the story about the person who cares and love you is more precious than real treasure.

And while 1st and 2nd game story beat looks similar which is pretty much the standard that you will found in most sequels in entertainment medium, both story is still interesting and enjoyable to follow while provide some nice twist about legends like El Dorado and Cintamani Stone.

But the reasons why many people prefer UC2 than UC1 or why UC2 got more praise than UC1 is because it has better graphics, better set piece, better pace, better writing, more replay value with very fun co-op and multiplayer mode, and memorable new characters like Chloe and Tenzin that became fans favorites.

Sounds like a TGA reveal with April-May release date.

@Max_the_German I'm asking your opinion, not what some youtubers thinks / feel about the game. Oh well, just forget it.

@Max_the_German "but the story is total bollocks"

Can you tell me what exactly your problem with the story to the point you think it's 'total bollocks'?

Great game and back then this game was one of the reason to own a PS3.

@Nem I just check that link and it showed Helldivers 2 publishers is Microsoft and Phil Spencer Studios 🤣

This wiki doesn't mention about Hasbro as Helldivers 2 co-publisher though.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helldivers_2

Also, here's Helldivers 2 ending credits but i don't see a single mention about Hasbro as publisher either. But Sony, SIE, Playstation Studios, Nixxes, the whole SIE marketing and engine got credited.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WDm2dKvhpNM&pp=ygUbaGVsbGRpdmVycyAyIGVuZGluZyBjcmVkaXRz

Hmm something is wrong here 😁

@cuttlefishjones "Microsoft have never really cared about gaming, about what it means culturally, about anything to do with it really. They only ever cared about data mining and trapping people into an ecosystem they can milk for profit."

You nailed it in the head 🤝

Fun fact. Back in 2000, MS tried to buy Nintendo, EA, and Square and all of them said no with Nintendo guys laughed at MS proposal.
https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-wanted-to-buy-nintendo-145746874.html

And yeah i also agreed about what MS trying to do with GamePass is pretty much destroying traditional video game: owning a console and game. I'm glad it doesn't work right now but MS already made two big negative impact for gaming industry: they popularized paid DLC and pay for online play

Got 7/10. I didn't know about Croc since i never played the game, Deathloop, and there's tons of DBZ games.

@zupertramp I'm sorry if my comment not clear enough. But my main point isn't about sales but it's about a good game build around a solid and fun core gameplay as well excellent level design and audio that support the experiences.

You said Astro Bot entire game is build around cameos or reference but it isn't. Cameos is just a fun little gimmick for longtime PS fans. But people who doesn't know jacksh*t about who's Solid Snake, Sir Daniel Fortesque, Ape Escape, Kazuya Mishima, etc etc can still play and enjoyed Astro Bot. That's why i gave you the video that showed a person had a lot of fun with Astro Bot even without any knowledge about PS characters except Crash.

@vyseofhr Not everyone likes Mario. I mean, a lot of people prefer Sonic, Bubble Bobble, Pitfall!, Alex Kidd, Wonder Boy, Prince of Persia, Adventure Island, or Mega Man over Mario and these games existed long before Sony released PS1 in 1994.

@Mikey856 I get you man. I enjoyed Mario but i prefer other platformers over the Italian plumber long before i get my hands on PS1.

@zupertramp Here's a video where a guy asked his wife to play Astro Bot and she had a lot of fun with the game despite she doesn't know any cameos outside Crash Bandicoot.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CYhGI2csMH8&pp=ygUWTXkgd2lmZSBwbGF5IGFzdHJvIGJvdA%3D%3D

A platformer wouldn't sold well if it doesn't have solid and fun core gameplay as well great level design and catchy music, which Astro Bot had all of them.

Don't have PS+ but i'm excited to replay Dino Crisis, which hopefully it'll be free for anyone who own the PS1 Classic.

Xbox is pretty much not exist here in Indonesia. We got MS and their Windows but they never officially release / sell Xbox console and games. So, retailers only imported Xbox console and games with very limited quantity from Singapore or Malaysia.

It's just funny that MS has more money than Sony & Nintendo combine but they didn't bother to release their console in many countries.

Cool interview. The game looks interesting though, like old SNK games. I would try it if it have a demo for PS4/5.

Also. It's nice to see fighting games enter the 2nd golden era. But sadly without Soul Calibur, VF, DOA, and Bloody Roar...

I guess my prediction is right that Astro Bot possibly already pass 1 million copies.

I mean, sold 34% better than Sonic Frontiers in EU alone is big considering Frontiers sold 3.5 million copies worldwide and released for 5 platforms.

@LifeGirl I'm not sure how your logic work. But at least Astro Bot is played and beloved by many people and also live a lot longer than Concord.

@Judal27 Nice to see you still playing and having fun with DS.

Keep On Keeping On 😊 🤝

This week i finished some retro games.

• Mega Man Zero 1 (Mega Man Zero/ZX collection)
  Beat this game for the first time and i think it's a pretty solid MM game. The story kinda sad too with what happened to X. Although, 'Protect Factory' mission was quite a pain in the ass and it feels weird that Zero can't do slide.
• Bayonetta (Bayonetta/Vanquish remastered)
  Beat this game again for the 3rd or 4th time. I really like this game but sadly us PS owners probably never get the 2nd and 3rd game.
• Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Mega Drive Collection)
  Got the urge to play this game after Shinobi live act movie announcement and it still the masterpiece that i remember back in Genesis day. The music also amazing despite Yuzo Koshiro absent.
• Streets of Rage 1 & 2 (Mega Drive Collection)
  I beat these games more than i can remember and i never feel bored playing them. A lot of classic games got memorable and fun + quick to play vibe and that is the testament of excellent game design that many modern games doesn't have.

Also, i'm playing Wonderful 101 Remastered. It's a pretty fun game and it kinda reminds me of Pikmin / Army Corps of Hell.

@Foxhound Sadly the studio got closed down by NetEase. I hope some of the devs join SE or studio who developed Trials of Mana remake.

@JohntheRaptor As far as i remember, i never played Hyper Dimension. Back then, when comes to Dragon Ball, me and my friends only played Super Butoden, Buyu Retsuden, and that turn based RPG.

No, i don't have any plan to play Sparking and i probably never play it.

And i think i played a bit of Budokai Tenkaichi 1 on PS2 but i also played the "predecessor" Super Butoden 1-3 on SNES, Buyu Retsuden on Sega Genesis, and GT Final Bout on PS1. Heck, i played the turn based RPG (forgot the title) on NES eons ago.

I enjoyed Dragon Ball; from reading / collecting the 42 volume manga, gacha cards, action figures, played the games, watched the movies etc. But i'm just done with the series. I salute anyone who still follow and enjoyed the series though.

With Atlus track record and I also learn my lesson from Catherine, P3, P4, and 5 which i bought the vanila version on day 1, this time i'll wait for Reload / Golden / GotY / Re-ReFantazio or whatever name they'll used for complete edition.

Nice to see that Visions of Mana is doing well.

@Maubari This report is for August 4-31. For September 1-October 5, the report will be release in October 23

I'm tempted to get this over Ys X since i enjoyed the demo. But i remember Atlus and their ritual of FES / Golden / Royale / Vengeance aka complete edition that includes all DLC, some QoL, and new contents like a year later.

So yeah, i'll just wait for complete edition. But hey, congrats for Atlus / Sega 🍻

@CielloArc SE really needs to celebrate and thanks their fans more for their support. FF XVI sold 3+ million copies which is still a lot compare to other JRPG but not even once SE thanks the fans. What they only care is "the game doesn't meet their expectation". It just sound full corporate greed who see games and fans as nothing less than cash cow :/

@Mintie You have good taste my friend. So yeah, praised Capcom and Akiman for creating one of the best and strongest female characters in video games 🙇‍♂️