@Shstrick Yes and no. The problem is Zelda has such a massively wide userbase, it basically competes and obliterates any genre's potential for sales.
If I have only $60 bucks to spend on games for a month, you can be your ass most people will only spend it on the heavy hitters of the month and leave anything more niche or smaller in size to "wait for reviews or a sale"
Horizon Burning Shores is probably going to get similarly unlucky. And while I'm incredibly excited for both it and Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (pre-ordered both), it's pretty obvious Zelda is going to canibalize its sales yet again.
Horizon just can't catch a lucky break lol, same thing happened when Zero Dawn released days before Breath of the Wild. While Forbidden West only kept of the trend by releasing days before Elden Ring. I'm betting Horizon 3 will debut the same month GTA6 will lol.
Gotta love how Horizon Burning Shores releases only a few weeks before Jedi: Survivor... as well as Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, with a new trailer just released minutes ago that borders on E3 2017 BotW trailer hype levels 🤡 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHGShqcAHlQ
It's starting to look like either a hilarious tradition, or some sort of humiliation fetish lol. Zero Dawn? Released days before Breath of the Wild. Forbidden West? Release days before Elden Ring. What's next, Horizon 3 releasing before GTA6? ðŸ«
No hate though, I already have Burning Shores pre-ordered and I'm rushing to finish Forbidden West which is amazing. It's just a little sad when fantastic games lose a massive amount of wind due to unfair release schedules that get them to compete against impossible odds.
The best part of PSVR2 for me is how much money is now being poured into VR game development.
With developers being able to create cross-platform VR games that target PSVR2, PCVR and even Quest 2 simultaneously, there's a MASSIVE amount of money to be made. Which will only lead to more VR game releases + updates to existing titles.
No matter your stance on PSVR2's controversial value proposition, we should all be incredibly happy at what it's doing to revitalize the VR gamespace.
@Serialsid Oh I don't deny PSVR2 will look incredible! I'm just saying, some VR titles definitely massively benefit from a wireless setup. Primarily, anything that has you turning around 360 and moving around in a roomscale environment constantly. I can tell you this because I've tried some games with a cabled setup VS wireless, and they do NOT work as well in cable mode.
If you've only used VR with a cables for years, I can't blame you for not understanding the freedom that wireless headsets give you for roomscale titles. I'm not overblowing it, I just know the difference better after trying both experiences (cabled / wireless)
BTW. I'm not implying I'd prefer PSVR2 to be a fully wireless headset with the same ***** visuals as on the quest. But I would have much preferred if Sony had figured out a way to transmit high quality video streams wirelessly from the PS5 so it didn't require any cables. Mirroring the excellent experience from wireless headsets, but with the power of the PS5
@NEStalgia Don't dunk on it until you tried it I thought exactly the same thing as you with all the "ugly VR titles" being released, until a friend let me try a VR setup at his place and was mindblown at how enjoyable and immersive it is. There's just no point of comparison between viewing it on a flatscreen display and a VR headset display. You think the pixels will look uglier in front of your eyes, but because of how these headsets adjust depth perception, you don't really notice it anymore after like 15 seconds.
It's almost like stepping into a another reality/dimension a-la Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There's nothing else like it. And graphics don't really matter if the art direction is good enough.
Games like Pistol Whip, Runner VR, and Superhot all have something in common. They may not have the "most realistic graphics", but in VR, their art style shines and immerses you way more than even the most realistic VR title. It's eerily similar to Nintendo's approach of making timeless videogames with on limited hardware/graphics processor chips that score overwhelmingly better critically and financially compared to the "AAA ultra-realistic graphics" shovelware titles on PC/Xbox/PS5 that release every year and flowp.
@NEStalgia Most PSVR & PSVR2 games are ports of existing Quest 2 games because the user base for Quest 2 dwarfs even the PCVR install base. It's not because the PSVR2 is underpowered, its just its userbase is tiny so developers prefer to develop games first and foremost for the biggest market (Quest) and then port to other platforms.
Having said that, don't be fooled by "graphics", you'd be surprised how immersive these games are in VR even with this art style. There's even been doom-like VR titles with pixel art style release on PCVR and received stellar / positive reviews: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiLcuorQ_JA
@SoulChimera There is no opposite direction on higher difficulties with enemies popping all around you, and you'll moving constantly to dodge. I agree with the commenter, this seems like the type of game that is considerably superior on wireless headsets like the Quest 2. Even if PSVR2 fanboys disagree.
@gbanas92 Glad to help! Yeah, Supernatural was something I never knew I needed until I learned about it. It's basically Beat Saber with a dramatically bigger music catalog, with an additional boxing mode alongside the traditional hack and slash one, as well as songs that actually make you break a sweat.
Also, one last tip. If you liked Synth Riders, check out Audio Trip! It offers similarly fun dance/rhythm based gameplay, but many people praise Audio Trip as having the most fun and best choreography out of all dance-type VR games. And the newly added "cardio mode" makes Audio Trip an incredibly potent workout tool.
@gbanas92 FYI (my computer also is horrible haha), since most people don't know, while you can use the Quest 2 with a PC VR setup, it is a 100% standalone, battery powered, and wireless. AKA: you can install beat saber on it directly, and play it directly from the quest until the battery dies.
It's powered by a Snapdragon XR mobile chip, but rhythm games look and run surprisingly well on it at 90fps most of the time.
Main benefit to you buying it over a PSVR2 is portability (you can bring the quest 2 to a friend's house without a PC). That it's fully wireless which means its more comfortable for rhythm games. And that it has a massive catalog of Rhythm and Fitness titles if you're into that. One I doubt PSVR2 will ever match.
If you're into exercise or VR fitness, check out "Supernatural". I love it, gives me a proper workout, and its just as fun as beat saber but with a much larger and varied user catalog. It's available on Quest. It's easy top 5 VR fitness titles along side Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, and Les Mills Bodycombat. (All on PC VR and Quest AFAIK)
@gbanas92 If rhythm games are your thing, you might as well get a Quest 2 where most VR rhythm games started.
It's cheaper than a PSVR2 setup, its completely wireless making for a much better experience while dancing, and it's compatible with PC (unlike the PSVR2) if you ever want to upgrade down the line and get full access to the wonderful world of VR modding (see Ocarina of Time VR and Doom VR). And the more "limited" power isn't much of an issue with rhythm games since they tend to be incredibly well optimized. Beat saber and Pistol Whip are a joy to play at 120/60hz on my Quest 2.
Not hating on the PSVR2 (it's fantastic for narrative experiences, I'm sure). Just merely a suggestion where Rhythm games might benefit.
@DETfaninATL "so they adjusted the brightness and contrast..."
Ignorance is hilarious lmao.
I'm guessing you're also the kind of person that doesn't need a TV with official HDR support or care about Ray Tracing because they can just "increase brightness and contrast" on their current TV from 10 years ago lol.
Also, this blurry 1080p video with YouTube's horrendous compression is a poor comparison to say the least. Watch this in 4K, and the next-gen upgrades will become dramatically more apparent.
Overall, loving this upgrade. It's clear that it's not just a "darker" filter, and more how the game should have looked like from the beginning with correct simulated lightning/shadows
Elden Ring was a runaway success when Dark Souls wasn't for the same reasons Monster Hunter World was a world wide phenomenon when any of the previous entries weren't. The franchise made itself more approachable.
Some examples are the open world (it's now a more popular genre than ever), dramatically increased number of respawn and fast travel points which reduce the time it takes to try again bosses after defeat, and a far easier to pick up learning curve that makes the game easier for newcomers. That's not to say Monster Hunter World or Elden Ring aren't hard, they are just easier to approach to the masses.
Narrative, open world games in 2022 are a dime a dozen, as Ubisoft can tell you. Open world games that are actually able to pull off a challenge without feeling impossible or hard to approach? Now that's a rarity.
@invictus4000 I'm 1,000% with you on being against artificially hard BS kind of games, and like you, never played a Dark Souls game in the past. They just weren't for me.
Truth be told, I only tried Elden Ring because of morbid curiousity at the insane amount of praise the game was getting. I've skipped games in the past that I felt weren't for me.
But a game that is being consistently ranked as one of the top 5 greatest games of all time by critics? (Currently sits at #4 on OpenCritic, below BOTW, RDR2 and Mario. Horizon sits at spot #100+) Christ. I honestly felt like a game like that demanded I give it a chance.
Boy was I glad I gave Elden Ring a chance. And after playing it, I can truthfully admit that calling it "artificially difficult" is just being ignorant. The game is fair, but combat requires the player to actually THINK over just button mashing. And the only reason it might feel difficult, is we've become too accustomed to games that treat gamers like idiots with non-existent difficulty curves because they are too afraid of posing a real challenge.
You're absolutely right that this isn't for everyone. Some people just don't games with any kind of difficulty. Some people just like to relax and prefer easy, approachable games like Horizon or a Kirby / Yoshi game. But for those up to the challenge, beating a single boss in Elden Ring will be infinitely more rewarding than beating an entire game like Horizon. Because it'll will truly feel like you f*ck*ng EARNED it. And this is exactly why Elden Ring is crushing Horizon in sales. Because it's giving something gamers have desperately missed from the old days: an actual challenge that offers a meaningful reward.
Can't say this wasn't predictable. Both Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West are fantastic games in their own rights.
The problem was Horizon didn't really break any ground and ended up being yet another rather forgetable, generic AAA open world game in the same pile as Ubisoft games. While Elden Ring became another generational classic joining the likes of the Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild.
Personally, I hope the biggest lesson publishers learn from Elden Ring is to stop treating gamers like a bunch of idiots, and that people like a good challenge as long as it's fair and properly skill based. Same thing for massive open worlds full of uninteresting nothingness.
To be frank, what surprised me most about Elden Ring is that I HATE artificially difficult games as I have a job now and can't sink hours grinding away bosses. So I stayed away from all Dark Souls games in the past.
I only gave Elden Ring a shot because I was morbidly curious about its stupidly high 10/10 scores everywhere to the point it was becoming one of the highest rated games of all times (right next to Zelda and RDR2). Surely, such a difficult, unapproachable game couldn't get this kind of ratings?
Boy was I right. Is it hard? Yes. But it's absolutely not hard in an unfair way, and it absolutely rewards critical thinking and analyzing bosses more than low-effort hack n'slash games. And personally, it's this fair difficulty that makes beating Elden Ring bosses infinitely more rewarding than anything in Horizon Zero Dawn.
Comments 14
Re: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Delays Amnesia: The Bunker by One Week
@Shstrick Yes and no. The problem is Zelda has such a massively wide userbase, it basically competes and obliterates any genre's potential for sales.
If I have only $60 bucks to spend on games for a month, you can be your ass most people will only spend it on the heavy hitters of the month and leave anything more niche or smaller in size to "wait for reviews or a sale"
Horizon Burning Shores is probably going to get similarly unlucky. And while I'm incredibly excited for both it and Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (pre-ordered both), it's pretty obvious Zelda is going to canibalize its sales yet again.
Horizon just can't catch a lucky break lol, same thing happened when Zero Dawn released days before Breath of the Wild. While Forbidden West only kept of the trend by releasing days before Elden Ring. I'm betting Horizon 3 will debut the same month GTA6 will lol.
Re: Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores Expands Aloy's Moveset with Flashy New Finishers
Gotta love how Horizon Burning Shores releases only a few weeks before Jedi: Survivor... as well as Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, with a new trailer just released minutes ago that borders on E3 2017 BotW trailer hype levels 🤡
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHGShqcAHlQ
It's starting to look like either a hilarious tradition, or some sort of humiliation fetish lol. Zero Dawn? Released days before Breath of the Wild. Forbidden West? Release days before Elden Ring. What's next, Horizon 3 releasing before GTA6? ðŸ«
No hate though, I already have Burning Shores pre-ordered and I'm rushing to finish Forbidden West which is amazing. It's just a little sad when fantastic games lose a massive amount of wind due to unfair release schedules that get them to compete against impossible odds.
Re: PSVR2 Must Play Pistol Whip Is Plotting a Season of Free Content
The best part of PSVR2 for me is how much money is now being poured into VR game development.
With developers being able to create cross-platform VR games that target PSVR2, PCVR and even Quest 2 simultaneously, there's a MASSIVE amount of money to be made. Which will only lead to more VR game releases + updates to existing titles.
No matter your stance on PSVR2's controversial value proposition, we should all be incredibly happy at what it's doing to revitalize the VR gamespace.
Re: How PSVR2 Is Making Pistol Whip Better Than Ever
@Serialsid Oh I don't deny PSVR2 will look incredible! I'm just saying, some VR titles definitely massively benefit from a wireless setup. Primarily, anything that has you turning around 360 and moving around in a roomscale environment constantly. I can tell you this because I've tried some games with a cabled setup VS wireless, and they do NOT work as well in cable mode.
If you've only used VR with a cables for years, I can't blame you for not understanding the freedom that wireless headsets give you for roomscale titles. I'm not overblowing it, I just know the difference better after trying both experiences (cabled / wireless)
BTW. I'm not implying I'd prefer PSVR2 to be a fully wireless headset with the same ***** visuals as on the quest. But I would have much preferred if Sony had figured out a way to transmit high quality video streams wirelessly from the PS5 so it didn't require any cables. Mirroring the excellent experience from wireless headsets, but with the power of the PS5
Re: How PSVR2 Is Making Pistol Whip Better Than Ever
@NEStalgia Don't dunk on it until you tried it I thought exactly the same thing as you with all the "ugly VR titles" being released, until a friend let me try a VR setup at his place and was mindblown at how enjoyable and immersive it is. There's just no point of comparison between viewing it on a flatscreen display and a VR headset display. You think the pixels will look uglier in front of your eyes, but because of how these headsets adjust depth perception, you don't really notice it anymore after like 15 seconds.
It's almost like stepping into a another reality/dimension a-la Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. There's nothing else like it. And graphics don't really matter if the art direction is good enough.
Games like Pistol Whip, Runner VR, and Superhot all have something in common. They may not have the "most realistic graphics", but in VR, their art style shines and immerses you way more than even the most realistic VR title. It's eerily similar to Nintendo's approach of making timeless videogames with on limited hardware/graphics processor chips that score overwhelmingly better critically and financially compared to the "AAA ultra-realistic graphics" shovelware titles on PC/Xbox/PS5 that release every year and flowp.
Re: How PSVR2 Is Making Pistol Whip Better Than Ever
@NEStalgia Most PSVR & PSVR2 games are ports of existing Quest 2 games because the user base for Quest 2 dwarfs even the PCVR install base. It's not because the PSVR2 is underpowered, its just its userbase is tiny so developers prefer to develop games first and foremost for the biggest market (Quest) and then port to other platforms.
Having said that, don't be fooled by "graphics", you'd be surprised how immersive these games are in VR even with this art style. There's even been doom-like VR titles with pixel art style release on PCVR and received stellar / positive reviews:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiLcuorQ_JA
Re: How PSVR2 Is Making Pistol Whip Better Than Ever
@SoulChimera There is no opposite direction on higher difficulties with enemies popping all around you, and you'll moving constantly to dodge. I agree with the commenter, this seems like the type of game that is considerably superior on wireless headsets like the Quest 2. Even if PSVR2 fanboys disagree.
Re: Synth Riders Closes Out the Year with Merry Synthmas Update
@gbanas92 Glad to help! Yeah, Supernatural was something I never knew I needed until I learned about it. It's basically Beat Saber with a dramatically bigger music catalog, with an additional boxing mode alongside the traditional hack and slash one, as well as songs that actually make you break a sweat.
Also, one last tip. If you liked Synth Riders, check out Audio Trip! It offers similarly fun dance/rhythm based gameplay, but many people praise Audio Trip as having the most fun and best choreography out of all dance-type VR games. And the newly added "cardio mode" makes Audio Trip an incredibly potent workout tool.
Lastly, if the headset is for your mom, check out Dance Central. I'm sure it's right up your alley as well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxgVRU_Ft48
Re: Synth Riders Closes Out the Year with Merry Synthmas Update
@gbanas92 FYI (my computer also is horrible haha), since most people don't know, while you can use the Quest 2 with a PC VR setup, it is a 100% standalone, battery powered, and wireless. AKA: you can install beat saber on it directly, and play it directly from the quest until the battery dies.
It's powered by a Snapdragon XR mobile chip, but rhythm games look and run surprisingly well on it at 90fps most of the time.
Main benefit to you buying it over a PSVR2 is portability (you can bring the quest 2 to a friend's house without a PC). That it's fully wireless which means its more comfortable for rhythm games. And that it has a massive catalog of Rhythm and Fitness titles if you're into that. One I doubt PSVR2 will ever match.
If you're into exercise or VR fitness, check out "Supernatural". I love it, gives me a proper workout, and its just as fun as beat saber but with a much larger and varied user catalog. It's available on Quest. It's easy top 5 VR fitness titles along side Beat Saber, Pistol Whip, and Les Mills Bodycombat. (All on PC VR and Quest AFAIK)
Re: Synth Riders Closes Out the Year with Merry Synthmas Update
@gbanas92 If rhythm games are your thing, you might as well get a Quest 2 where most VR rhythm games started.
It's cheaper than a PSVR2 setup, its completely wireless making for a much better experience while dancing, and it's compatible with PC (unlike the PSVR2) if you ever want to upgrade down the line and get full access to the wonderful world of VR modding (see Ocarina of Time VR and Doom VR). And the more "limited" power isn't much of an issue with rhythm games since they tend to be incredibly well optimized. Beat saber and Pistol Whip are a joy to play at 120/60hz on my Quest 2.
Not hating on the PSVR2 (it's fantastic for narrative experiences, I'm sure). Just merely a suggestion where Rhythm games might benefit.
Re: This How Much Better The Witcher 3 Looks on PS5 Compared to PS4
@DETfaninATL "so they adjusted the brightness and contrast..."
Ignorance is hilarious lmao.
I'm guessing you're also the kind of person that doesn't need a TV with official HDR support or care about Ray Tracing because they can just "increase brightness and contrast" on their current TV from 10 years ago lol.
Also, this blurry 1080p video with YouTube's horrendous compression is a poor comparison to say the least. Watch this in 4K, and the next-gen upgrades will become dramatically more apparent.
Overall, loving this upgrade. It's clear that it's not just a "darker" filter, and more how the game should have looked like from the beginning with correct simulated lightning/shadows
Re: PS Store Sales Charts: Gran Turismo 7 Laps Elden Ring in Europe as Horizon Falls Off a Cliff
@naruball One word: "approachability".
Elden Ring was a runaway success when Dark Souls wasn't for the same reasons Monster Hunter World was a world wide phenomenon when any of the previous entries weren't. The franchise made itself more approachable.
Some examples are the open world (it's now a more popular genre than ever), dramatically increased number of respawn and fast travel points which reduce the time it takes to try again bosses after defeat, and a far easier to pick up learning curve that makes the game easier for newcomers. That's not to say Monster Hunter World or Elden Ring aren't hard, they are just easier to approach to the masses.
Narrative, open world games in 2022 are a dime a dozen, as Ubisoft can tell you. Open world games that are actually able to pull off a challenge without feeling impossible or hard to approach? Now that's a rarity.
Re: PS Store Sales Charts: Gran Turismo 7 Laps Elden Ring in Europe as Horizon Falls Off a Cliff
@invictus4000 I'm 1,000% with you on being against artificially hard BS kind of games, and like you, never played a Dark Souls game in the past. They just weren't for me.
Truth be told, I only tried Elden Ring because of morbid curiousity at the insane amount of praise the game was getting. I've skipped games in the past that I felt weren't for me.
But a game that is being consistently ranked as one of the top 5 greatest games of all time by critics? (Currently sits at #4 on OpenCritic, below BOTW, RDR2 and Mario. Horizon sits at spot #100+) Christ. I honestly felt like a game like that demanded I give it a chance.
Boy was I glad I gave Elden Ring a chance. And after playing it, I can truthfully admit that calling it "artificially difficult" is just being ignorant. The game is fair, but combat requires the player to actually THINK over just button mashing. And the only reason it might feel difficult, is we've become too accustomed to games that treat gamers like idiots with non-existent difficulty curves because they are too afraid of posing a real challenge.
You're absolutely right that this isn't for everyone. Some people just don't games with any kind of difficulty. Some people just like to relax and prefer easy, approachable games like Horizon or a Kirby / Yoshi game. But for those up to the challenge, beating a single boss in Elden Ring will be infinitely more rewarding than beating an entire game like Horizon. Because it'll will truly feel like you f*ck*ng EARNED it. And this is exactly why Elden Ring is crushing Horizon in sales. Because it's giving something gamers have desperately missed from the old days: an actual challenge that offers a meaningful reward.
Re: PS Store Sales Charts: Gran Turismo 7 Laps Elden Ring in Europe as Horizon Falls Off a Cliff
Can't say this wasn't predictable. Both Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West are fantastic games in their own rights.
The problem was Horizon didn't really break any ground and ended up being yet another rather forgetable, generic AAA open world game in the same pile as Ubisoft games. While Elden Ring became another generational classic joining the likes of the Witcher 3 and Breath of the Wild.
Personally, I hope the biggest lesson publishers learn from Elden Ring is to stop treating gamers like a bunch of idiots, and that people like a good challenge as long as it's fair and properly skill based. Same thing for massive open worlds full of uninteresting nothingness.
To be frank, what surprised me most about Elden Ring is that I HATE artificially difficult games as I have a job now and can't sink hours grinding away bosses. So I stayed away from all Dark Souls games in the past.
I only gave Elden Ring a shot because I was morbidly curious about its stupidly high 10/10 scores everywhere to the point it was becoming one of the highest rated games of all times (right next to Zelda and RDR2). Surely, such a difficult, unapproachable game couldn't get this kind of ratings?
Boy was I right. Is it hard? Yes. But it's absolutely not hard in an unfair way, and it absolutely rewards critical thinking and analyzing bosses more than low-effort hack n'slash games. And personally, it's this fair difficulty that makes beating Elden Ring bosses infinitely more rewarding than anything in Horizon Zero Dawn.