This does look phenomenal, especially with the environments. Love how the music is classicly orchestral instead of dubstep, too. That's a relief for me! (ha ha)
I KNEW there must have been something hidden in there since it went by so fast. Considering they're in chronological and series order, I have no doubt that's a tease for a new Wolfenstein.
Would've liked a teaser trailer, but...I'll take what I can get, I suppose.
It has to happen. The teasing has only become more blatant over time. Besides, if Sony wants to somehow top what they did last year at E3, showing a reveal trailer for a new Crash Bandicoot is an absolute must. If not at E3, then hopefully at PSX.
DS4 Windows is a bit tricky to set up with some games in particular, but I love using it, especially if I can map some inputs to the touchpad in intuitive ways! The Xbox One controller sure is nice, but I personally prefer the placement of the analog sticks on the DS4 and how it just feels less bulky and heavy in my hands with its slim, ergonomic build.
@Matroska Ah, that's true. Relatively speaking, those accomplishments shouldn't be made light of. I just meant that I'm referring to games since the last-gen started because , for me, I always seem to stumble across games that don't have reflecting mirrors. It's weird and drives me insane! So that's why I assumed it must be tough to do when, in fact, it probably isn't most of the time. Developers are just lazy about it, like Ready at Dawn with The Order as @get2sammyb pointed out. But yeah, whenever they do reflect, it's a sign of attention to detail to me, which is why I specifically mentioned that here.
And that Deadly Premonition example you gave is awesome! I never would've guessed it would have that!
@Matroska We're talking about modern games here. I don't know why, but it's rare when you'll stumble across one with half-decent mirror reflections (of any at all). U4 goes all the way, which I didn't expect. I guess it's just hard to program in games most of the time.
@get2sammyb As soon as I personally witnessed that you could look in mirrors, I knew I was in for a visually technical masterpiece. For some reason, even the greatest feats of graphical prowess always have mirrors that don't reflect! But U4's not only show the main character, but also accurately change with the background. Add that to the facial animation, lighting, physics like in the GIF you posted...gosh, I really don't know how Naughty Dog does it.
@RawShark Aww, don't spoil the fun of looking it up!
@kyleforrester87 Thanks! With that blatantly open sequel bait, I'm sure we'll be playing as the DOOM Marine again in a couple years!
@adf86 It is strange, but I suppose they weren't going to have the multiplayer and SnapMap modes ready until launch. It did give me cause for concern since I had nothing but positive expectations for DOOM, but my worries were unfounded in the end! And yes, I'd love to see Bethesda do a new Quake next since they are on a role with FPS games!
@sub12 Right. It could've certainly been better and will likely loss followers over the the next few months (IF it doesn't change), but to say that it's flat-out bad is, in my opinion, disingenuous. All id Software needs to do is add modes like Deathmatch, CTF, and one where you can only pick up guns around maps. Then we'd have a better multiplayer on our hands! And yes, the single-player portion is worth the price of entry alone.
@MadAussieBloke A lot of his complaints come from the multiplayer, which I don't believe should detract from the value of the campaign. Even if it were a universally hated component, attempting to score the game would prove difficult. Should the game still receive a high score, or should the additional mode drag the campaign down with it? That's a tough question to answer, but I don't agree that the multiplayer is "unmemorable." Sure, in its current state I won't be playing it that much later this year (again, only if it doesn't change), but I think it scratches some of that trigger-finger, frantic gameplay itch that's missing in so many online shooters. The multiplayer may not be inspirational, but it can provide tons of fun regardless.
And I was surprised by some of his comments on how you play. "So if you run in circles around the kill chamber, shooting behind you and dodging projectiles, you can kill the majority of the enemies within — only after you've thinned the herd of Demons can you then start running forward and killing them by circle-strafing (running around them in circles)." That's something I didn't do. It can be done, but since enemies spawn all around the arenas and behave differently, attempting to corral demons would prove laborious and not worth the time. I found myself always switching from moving backward and forward at a moment's notice to seize opportunities to escape a crowd of demons or go in guns blazing. It's more fun to play that way and the game encourages this kind of "on your feet" strategy, which this reviewer seemed to circumvent to his own detriment to a certain degree.
@DrClayman Even as someone who didn't grow up on this old style of shooter, I'd LOVE to see more like DOOM in this day and age. It's a refreshingly new experience for younger audiences like myself and a nostalgic trip for shooter veterans!
@carlos82 TNO was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If you loved that, you're going to adore this! And yeah, loadouts are a curious thing. I think they have their place in this multiplayer, but I think separate modes of the existing ones that disable them would be perfect.
@Melucine Based on what I know about the classic games and playing the campaign for 16+ hours, I'd say this is a reboot. It doesn't canonically work with the older games and completely re-imagines the DOOM Marine's origins, so it simply borrows a lot of themes and plot points from the original games and reworks them into a more cohesive structure.
@get2sammyb Right, story takes a backseat in DOOM for good reason. But like I said, I still think a lot of the locations, character profiles, and lore are really cool to sit back and read for a couple minutes! I was truly fascinated with how the game tries to explain away UAC's preposterous motives and the demons' physiology, origins, etc. It's all ridiculous, but I couldn't help but laugh at how much the game tries to treat itself seriously with a figurative smirk.
@Boerewors That's a good point, and I considered lowering the score to an 8 for that very reason (plus some legitimate issues with the campaign). But it's a tough thing to consider as I mentioned in my reply to @MadAussieBloke
@AXEL314 YES, I love how they implemented the old door sound! And the easter eggs are surprisingly well-placed and fun to find. All in all, I'm sure it won't be my GOTY, but I'm pretty confident it will remain my FPS of 2016.
I switched my cover to the reversible side as soon as I got the game. It's so beautiful!
@Grawlog Believe me, I had a tough time deciding whether this would be an 8 or 9! However, there's so much that DOOM does right over what is does wrong that I just had to push it to a 9. If this were a more precise rating, I would've given DOOM an 8.75, but I rounded that off to a 9 with our official scoring policy since it's honestly one of the best shooters I've played in years next to Wolfenstein: The New Order. And yeah, I hope the multiplayer improves as well. Thanks for reading!
@SkanetWasTaken I won't lie, the intro was pretty sick! I don't think it reaches the soul-crushing levels of TLoU, but it's still an awesome way to settle players into the game.
@Majic12 Totally agree. DOOM is something everyone should have a go at, whether they're an FPS fan or not. It may have its problems, but boy is it still a thrill!
@itshoggie Right. Sledgehammer might have more time to adapt to this, so I totally understand why Infinity Ward went with the near-future IW. And it might just be the worst selling CoD in several years, even if it turns out to be really good (which would be a bummer for the developer). And yeah, now that we've got three instead of two taking turns with the franchise, you'd expect more diversity and back-and-forth in terms of where the devs take the settings, gameplay, etc. I think Advanced Warfare was one of the best indicators of this diversity since the gameplay, in my opinion, felt like the most unique CoD in years, but yeah. Here's hoping things are more greatly shaken up next year.
@Ps4all Right! It's a really good deal if you want both games, which is why I'll be buying the bundle. And I don't know...I kind of disagree that people wouldn't buy IW if MWR came out side-by-side. I think a lot of people won't even bother or just wait out if they only want MWR. And even if a good amount purchase the bundle only for MWR, they won't be playing IW anyway or just sell it immediately. To me, it's why just going ahead and releasing both games separately at launch will look better and be more profitable for Activision. It gives off the idea that it's confident in IW's quality alone, rather than relying on MWR to carry it.
@consolfreak1982 That's why I believe the bundle will entice people even more if it's $20 less than if one were to buy MWR separately for $20 more. Are droves of people really willing to pay $80 for a remaster alone? And who's to say how many pre-owned copies of IW will be flooding the market, thereby - as I said - devaluing its worth in retail? If this is the general impression a lot of people are getting, I can guarantee many will be planning to just pick up IW pre-owned rather than new since so many people who are willing to buy it only for MWR will toss it to the side for $40-50 online in new condition. However, it's hard to say how people will behave later on and what Activision plans to do, so my guesses are decent at best!
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Oh! My apologies. That's a possibility, though. Honestly it's the most likely outcome to expect from all of this to sucker in those who only want MWR by buying both games at launch in the Legacy editions and then releasing it separately later on for the patient folk. It might be a bad idea though, and yes, it could very well affect the franchise's sales next year!
@PorllM But that's not accounting for how many people are planning on not even playing IW and selling it. Depending on how many people do this, it could have an adverse effect on IW's sales down the road as I detailed in responding to @consolfreak1982. And I'd disagree that we've seen something like this happen before. MWR is a really big deal, and the potential for it to sell like hotcakes in Nov. compared to several months down the line seems greater to me. I have no doubt, like you said, it will eventually be released later on, but is that really the best decision considering all of the factors? Hmm...
@BAMozzy Sure. And you could say they are remastering the whole game, it's just those 10 multiplayer maps that will be missing. I'm still on the side that despite that fact, this still warrants a separate release. Like, I just look at some of the remastered games out there like the Definitive editions of Tomb Raider and Dishonored and laugh because they were sold on their own and, compared to MWR, the amount of effort and overhauling it's receiving is far greater than either of those games. I get why it's a present of sorts for the hardcore fans of CoD, but that's not including everyone who loved CoD4 and jumped off years ago. There will be so many who want this that were casual fans back in the day, but they'll skip out on the bundle at launch since it costs $80. But a $40 standalone release? People would be all over that.
Thanks for the statistics! And yes, there's no doubt that the modern games have sold really well, but the fact the franchise has peaked and is slowly declining in sales is troubling. You'd think interest would grow over time (with new, younger audiences and all), but MW3 was the point where people started to fall off, likely a lot of older fans. So, I think by giving younger fans IW, older fans MWR, and people who want both the bundle, you're bringing in a full force of CoD fans that, combined together, would result in amazing sales for both. Maybe!
I'm sure some aspects of that kind of gameplay will make it into IW, and I hope they do, but I honestly hopped off BO3 faster than any other CoD. For some reason, I'm just no good at its multiplayer, despite the fact I've always been able to turn out good matches in past games. Might have to do with the greater verticality of maps or the boosted health of players, but maybe Infinity Ward will strike the balance I'm looking for.
Oh gosh, I think CoD4 still has the best stealth missions. And yeah, it brought so much to the table with multiplayer, but I certainly remember all the flaws it had with perks and balancing. That's why I'm saying it might have the same setup but will accordingly balance out some things like Juggernaut and Stopping Power to be less effective. One can hope.
Oh, I'm not saying that will be possible. Of course it will need to be opened. But for those who want IW, they'll essentially be getting it new as a pre-owned item just without MWR for a cheaper price than the retail version. That's what I'm thinking will affect the sales of the standalone version of IW if MWR isn't sold separately as well.
@W0rJ4ckie People are quick to judge, so I also have no doubt a lot of these "fans" will be crawling back to CoD. (ha ha) But how many is the question? We're not talking BF3 vs. MW3, we're talking about two games with completely different settings, and one of them has what the majority wants. B1 might just have the upper hand this time, but it's definitely too early to tell if that will be the case with sales.
@itshoggie Oh, for sure. I have a friend who's played the 3rd one over 10 times! It truly is one of the best R&C games, and 2 is really good as well! And it's unfortunate that you're playing the Vita versions (I've heard the PS3 ports are much better), but they're still great games. Definitely keep going!
@Grawlog Thanks! And yeah, I'm a bit skeptical as well. I do like how much effort they're putting into the tech, so hopefully their work will be among the best Oculus has to offer.
@carlos82 Oh, I'm sure your stepson will enjoy it. It's hardly as awful as some critics have made it out to be, but I wouldn't call it a great movie either. It's just...fine. It doesn't do anything remarkable, but it offers some harmless fun.
@naut It's equal parts going soft and being less "edgy" compared to the original games. I recently rewatched some of the cutscenes from the original games and, while a lot of the humor is great, some of it just falls flat and comes across as trying too hard. That's why the tone of the games has gotten friendlier in some good ways, but at the same time, aspects of the humor take a nosedive in originality by appealing to younger audiences. But overall, I do think this has been slightly detrimental over time, which is particularly evident in this game and the movie.
@DerMeister No problem! Glad you enjoyed it.
@itshoggie Ahh, that's awesome! You'll love those games. Definitely plan on playing A Crack in Time and Into the Nexus! Those are some awesome Ratchet & Clank games.
@Gamer83 Definitely. It'd be silly of Sony to drop Ratchet & Clank. I can get behind "re-imaginings" of the first trilogy of games if Insomniac has an advisory role at the very least, but I'd prefer a new game in the series that continues the story with Insomniac at the helm or a new developer taking on a prequel story involving Ratchet's father or something. That'd be awesome!
@Churchy I love doing interviews! It's hard to do them, but I hope we do more in the future as well.
@Hordak Whoa, that's quite a threat there. But yeah, I wish there could be another Resistance game too. It'd be nice if Sony got another developer to work on the franchise since Insomniac has apparently abandoned it.
Part 3. I'll be back to check the comments section later. Joey needs a break now.
@Rudy_Manchego Thanks for commenting! This does give cause for concern that Activision doesn’t have as much faith in newer Call of Duty games and is therefore banking on CoD4 to help carry IW, but like you said, “I am not sure it is good long term business.” Activision will still make a profit this fall, but how much that will entail depends on if it adapt its plans for bundling both games.
@DerMeister Bingo. That’s what makes B1 so fresh as a FPS. WW2 has been beaten to death, but WW1 has been barely touched, even during the PS2 era! For DICE to go back to that period is risky in this console generation, but risk entails exploring new grounds, and that’s what a lot of people have desired for a while. DICE is giving it to them, but for better or worse remains to be seen.
Right. The least Activision can do is release later on separately, but I think this would be detrimental to not only MWR’s sales, but also IW’s sales. It could be minor in the end, yes, but releasing them separately at launch seems the wiser decision to me.
@JaxonH It’s why I gave up on Assassin’s Creed. I love the games, but...gosh, I can’t keep up with them! I think CoD fits this cycle, but it would be nice to see the brand branch out to the third-person shooter genre or something every other year to at least separate the releases of FPSs. And I haven’t pre-ordered B1 either despite my mentioning it positively in the article, but if the gameplay looks promising and receives positive reception from live demos, I’ll be following your lead by getting on the B1 hype train.
@sham8nix It’s not just the very concept of this bundle that might turn off people, but also the message it sends in how confident Activision might actually be in IW. I like how you point that out as a reason for you not being interested in the games for now. It’s definitely a valid reason.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Ha, that’d be nice! But as I said a couple times above, I think a good portion of damage will have already been dealt in that time period. If that’s the way it has to be, fine. But Activision would likely be serving itself much more generously if it separately released the games at launch.
@RaymanFan2 Exactly! All the more reason to release it at launch!
@itshoggie I see what you’re saying, but MWR screams to be sold as a separate game. I’ve truly never seen a remaster of this depth sold as an extra for a collector’s edition. It just doesn’t make sense to me, and Activision will be sacrificing a lot of retail sales should it not separate both games. And yes, I expect Sledgehammer Games to follow up IW with a Vietnam or WW2 FPS. If it doesn’t, well...I can’t imagine the amount of negative reception another near-future CoD game would receive next year.
@Boerewors Exactly! I pose a similar strategy in the third paragraph from the bottom. I think it would be more than fair to sell MWR separately at launch for $30-40 and no one will complain, even if it’s only $20 bundled with IW. Can you imagine how many copies would fly off the shelves? I’m not even including the holiday season! And yes, I definitely know Activision is in this for the money, but if it wants to truly earn as much as it can, it will reconsider its current ideas and do something similar to what you suggested. I think $60 is a bit steep, but $40 is definitely reasonable. I see that price tag being the most viable path for a separate release that will satisfy everyone.
@xStormxBringeRx Hmm...I can see MW2 happening with Sledgehammer’s next Call of Duty, but Treyarch? I think it would remaster World at War if anything. I can still see this being a pattern for future Call of Duty games though: a new CoD + a remaster. I just hope future titles won’t emulate what’s going on now, but if it turns out to be successful, I guess we’ll have to get used to it and hope Activision will release the games separately down the line. But I have my doubts about that success.
@TomKongPhooey And you’re the kind of person I’m talking about in this article! You’re a lost customer for Activision, but it could have you at launch if it sells MWR separately. I hope this will happen!
@Flopsy Oh yeah, I’m sure it will still sell well! But I believe some of the, um, “masses” won’t be willing to get MWR once they find out they have to buy the new game. Keep in mind there’s likely droves of these people who haven’t played CoD in years that will catch wind of this and want to re-experience CoD4 again, but won’t be bothered for $80. I’m no expert on economics, but I can’t shake the gut feeling that this masterplan isn’t as smart as Activision thinks it is. What’s important is that it needs to capture fans’ attention in the holiday season with a separate MWR rather than later on. The opportunity to garner the most interest and hype surrounding it will be during IW’s release, so I guess we’ll see where all of this goes.
@TXP Thanks! I don’t care what anyone says...MW2 and 3 may have been dumber than the first game, but strike me down if I say I didn’t have fun playing them! It’s an excellent trilogy, and the top dog deserves more special treatment than this.
@Boerewors I agree that people who feel entitled to MWR for only $20 separately need a reality check (ha ha). There’s a way to compromise between both parties here, and I feel like you and I came to some reasonable, similar solutions. As for WW1 Battlefield, I think it’ll hardly be accurate to history. It will certainly use weapons, vehicles, and settings from that period, but like you said, I think they’re going to greatly exaggerate the action and diversity of combat with experimental equipment to keep things interesting. That’ what resonates with people, whereas IW boasts the same type of time period that has been in every CoD for the past couple years with a slight spin everyone saw coming (being in space). I think it could definitely work, but as @get2sammyb said, B1 stands out from the crowd while IW doesn’t despite its cool ideas. It’s somewhat of a shame, really, but people aren’t really...open or forgiving to games these days.
@BAMozzy Same. And great points about CoD4. I concede that it’s not as groundbreaking as people think it is from a critical perspective, but I still think it’s a phenomenal entry despite its flaws.
I’m sure Raven is planing to balance out the multiplayer without compromising what made it unique. And while CoD4 didn’t sell as much as its sequels, you’ve got to keep in mind that this was after CoD3. When comparing the sales of that game to CoD4, the difference is astronomical due to its critical reception and because it was the first modern CoD. The subsequent games significantly owe it for their success, especially MW2. It’s no wonder that it performed so well compared to World at War based on name recognition alone!
MWR may not come with all the multiplayer maps, but I find it somewhat disparaging to call it a “bonus.” It may come with less maps in multiplayer, but it only has six less than the original (not including the DLC). If this remaster only had the campaign, that would be one thing, but the fact most of the multiplayer is intact, it’s just baffling that this remaster doesn’t justify a separate release. Just an HD touch up? Fine. Only the campaign? Sure. But multiplayer and the campaign with new cutscenes, remade assets, motion capture, new graphical upgrades, and more? I personally think MWR is more than a bonus, and Activision knows it. Where do they plan to go with this...
The great thing about these soapboxes is that people are able to tear apart everything I say and point out things I forgot to mention. Love it. Okay, let's see...
@get2sammyb DANG IT. I forgot to mention in the article that, yes, selling it at a later date is likely. Activision may be foolish enough (imo) to maintain its current plans for bundling it with Infinite Warfare, but it'd just be lunacy to not sell it separately at some point. And the fact that IW is attempting to leech off Modern Warfare's legacy to reel in consumers could be a very telltale sign that Activision has not only lost some faith in CoD's continued success as a whole, but also Infinity Ward after Ghosts marked a low point. But if Activision really wants to make more revenue, they'll separate IW and MWR. I doubt the amount of people willing to compromise and buy the former to get the latter will be greater than those that choose to skip out entirely. MWR may indeed outsell IW in that case, but money is money...if Activision likes it, I really think they'd sell it separately at launch rather than later on.
Like you said, I also have no doubt IW will sell well, but Activision has got to pull a Battlefield 1 next year to go against the grain of the present/near-future time periods of FPS games for the past 10 years. For now, it just has to work with what its got.
@FullbringIchigo Hmm, this would be interesting! Releasing it on the same date (or afterwards at the very least) is more likely, but getting people hyped up for IW with MWR would be an interesting tactic. Perhaps it could entice people with a special demo or access to a closed beta if it came out early? It’s a possibility, but I unfortunately don’t see it happening.
@kyleforrester87 Yeah, it is in retrospect! I suppose “shameful” or “foolish” would’ve been a better word to use. Anyway, you also pointed out the one possibility I forgot to mention about it being released later on. (I get the feeling I’m going to find this everywhere in the comments section below. ) I wouldn’t put it past Activision for pulling this either, but the language it’s using to describe MWR’s exclusivity is troubling so far, and those bad possibilities I mentioned near the end would only solidify suspicions that this won’t be sold separately down the road. I think the publisher is already going to lose more customers by not doing this at the onset of IW’s release, but that’s just my prediction at best.
@LieutenantFatman Thanks! I don’t think anyone should ever forget what Gearbox did with that game. It was embarrassing for the whole industry, and the developer should have hurdles to jump if it seeks to regain its reputation in the future. But hey, glad you enjoyed the article, too!
@Draythedestroyer Thanks! You know, one thing I want people to understand is that I don’t say anywhere that I think Battlefield 1 will be better. For all I know, IW might tear it apart! I’m just saying that from a purely consumer-oriented perspective, B1 is the result of EA listening to what shooter fans have wanted to return to for years, whereas Activision isn’t willing to take a risk like that yet. However, just as I thought, it seems like EA’s boldness is paying off, which might give it the edge over Call of Duty this year.
@Serenadeofsins Yeah, it’s hard, man. It’s not like the bundle is a bad deal, it’s just whether or not you think getting a hold of MWR is worth $80 for the time being. Like I said, I’m looking forward to both games, so I went ahead and pre-ordered the Legacy edition because...why not? It’s not like what Activision is doing is harmful to the industry. It’s just stupid. It can go ahead and go through with what it has planned now and I personally won’t mind, but I’m just saying that this is inconvenient for a lot of other people and will cost the publisher some profit, especially if the season pass locks MWR DLC behind it and whatnot. Now, if stuff like this actually happens, I’ll think about cancelling my pre-order or forgetting the season pass because I don’t want to deal with that. I might just cancel it altogether because I only pre-ordered it to get a sweet MWR poster, so...yeah.
@SkanetWasTaken I like how Dwight is Treyarch and is trying to get everyone to calm down.
@darkswabber That’s the option I’d pick!
@dryrain Theoretically speaking, that’s exactly what Activision hopes to accomplish. And while I have no doubt a lot of people will compromise and get IW to have MWR, the backlash to this decision cannot be ignored. So many people are saying they’ll just resell the game or not by the games at all, so there’s already going to be a split in the player base because of this. It’s not like people who buy IW to get MWR will also play I. They’re going to play MWR! There’s going to be a split no matter what happens, so I believe it’s best to cater to that natural divide by selling the games separately (and together for those who want both), which should effectively increase the amount of players who will play MWR without entirely compromising IW’s success at launch. But who knows! You might be right in the end.
@Gamer83 I never called IW a disaster nor B1 the “second coming.” I actually see a lot of potential for both games, but to judge their quality from launch trailers would be naive. I just think the bundle itself is a disaster in the making for the backlash it’s received that might have minor yet significant financial repercussions for Activision. And yes, I definitely remember that time period where people clamored for modern shooters, but we’ve seen this time period explored tirelessly for over 10 years. It’s time to mix it up a bit, and B1 might just do that in a way we haven’t seen before. (When’s the last time you’ve seen a WW1 shooter?) But that wasn’t really the point of the article. I’m just saying if Activision wants to be seen more favorably by consumers, it will sell MWR at launch separately to doubly contend alongside IW with B1.
How interesting! Definitely love how this is the time period they're going for. We need a WW1/WW2 era shooter, but with a weird twist as well, perhaps? Color my interest more piqued to see the reveal trailer later today.
Black Ops III really let me down, but as a longtime fan of the franchise, I'm keeping a close eye on this one. Going to watch the upcoming reveal trailer and eventual E3 demo with great interest. It'd be really nice to see Infinity Ward redeem itself after Ghosts.
The MW Remaster is a no-brainer though. That's a day one purchase for me.
Huh, I wonder if Infinite will be in the same universe as Modern Warfare, since they're not continuing with the Ghosts storyline? Hmm...either way, I know I'll be buying this for the remastered CoD4! Some people are saying that since it's only "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered," this could actually include the whole trilogy, but I doubt it. As long as we're talking about the original campaign and (hopefully) multiplayer, I'm so in.
OH. Well, that came out of nowhere! Loving the art style and music as usual, but I've got to see more of the gameplay to get a better impression of what Supergiant is going for. In the meantime, I'm still stoked for this!
@get2sammyb You're telling an American to catch all the intricate nuances in the dozens of varying British accents? Madness! No wonder @ShogunRok was giving me that look.
@SKC_Diamond That profile picture of me is actually in a costume...so yes, I've been thinking about changing it recently to represent what I look like...on normal days. (ha ha)
@BenTarrant Thanks, Ben! By the way, I've got to say that I love the avatar. One of my favorite movies!
@get2sammyb Thanks as well, Sammy! Yeah, I didn't notice a lot of these things either until I really thought about them for this article. It was hard to come up with some because so many people have already done excellent dissections of the series, but since I've been playing Demon's Souls recently and noticed how the series has these recurrent subtleties, I was able to pick up on them more easily. Glad you liked it!
@Hego I've considered doing a piece on things I hate about the Souls series (still love the games, of course!). How the game doesn't explain things well like multiplayer would be one point. I get the whole vague angle that FromSoftware is coming from, but with regard to using some items, putting together some aspects of the stories, explaining other mechanics and features, and so on, the Souls series is too vague to the point where many have to rely on external sources to play the game more effectively...which is a sign of lackluster communication to the player in the games' design.
Anyway, you cover some things I love about these games, too. And yes, people saying this game is so hard is another thing I hate. That's not the fault of the games themselves, but everybody makes them out to be these hellish titles that are no fun. They're honestly no harder than playing some first-person shooters or action-adventure games on the hardest difficulty. The Souls series just makes progress slow and steady because it requires precision and patience on the player's part. So it's largely not unfairly challenging, just demanding. I actually stayed away from the games for a long time because of the reputation they had, but once I got into them, I was irritated at how people made them out to be! I wish a lot more people knew what these games were really like.
@AyeHaley Ah, wonderful points! You've got a beautifully condensed list on what makes these games awesome at their cores. By the way...
"People think the combat is too hard and unfair while its one of the fairest and coolest combat systems in the industry. It's more about overcoming fear."
YES, YES, AND YES. Although I do think the games are a bit mischievous with the difficulty at times with some unfair things, as a whole they're exceptionally fair. You can only blame yourself when you die in combat.
@Illusionistt That's great to hear! Thanks for the compliment, too. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this...but even though I've played all the Souls games, Bloodborne is the only one I've managed to finish. They're so long, and I've gotten badly stuck in all of them except for Bloodborne! I need to go back and finish them all. At least I'm getting started by playing through Demon's Souls right now!
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi It's so scary when that happens. It'll honestly jolt me out of my couch whenever I encounter a new enemy that does that! And yes, besides the technical issues (frame rate woes are the major issue that hold Bloodborne back a hair, for example), the series is exceptionally consistent in maintaining its reputation with the slight exception of Dark Souls II for some folk (I have yet to play through the whole thing to make my own judgment).
@clvr Well, looks like someone finally pointed it out after two years of writing here! lol You'd be correct. Thinking about changing it at some point in the near future though...
Man, you're putting out some quality stuff, @get2sammyb! Didn't know about the historical context behind this outing of Nathan Drake, so thanks for the info. Really enjoyed your other videos too!
I haven't paid too much attention to FFXV since it's been in development limbo for so long, but from what I've heard and seen, I'm honestly not ecstatic for it. But that's not to say I'm not highly interested. Things like the Kingdom Hearts-esque combat, cool universe, and potential for great camaraderie and character development of the all-male cast have caught my attention. But I'm worried about how packed the open world will be, traversal, how much the game will rely on activities that will likely lose their appeal quickly (ride Chocobos, fish, drive, etc.), and simply if 10+ years of development have negatively affected the project.
I haven't been invested in the FF franchise since I've only played FFX (which was good!), but since I adore Kingdom Hearts, I'll definitely pick up FFXV if it's received positively.
@get2sammyb I think this mentality of treating games like a chore comes with one's transition into adulthood in most cases. Before the mid-teenage years, nearly everyone had all the time in the world to play the games they wanted to play, and since this usually entailed having less titles to go through (by having to rely on parents for buying games, building up an allowance, etc.), we scoured through everything we bought with no problems. I can tell you that I used to buy one game every 2-3 months when I was younger, and it was weird if I didn't fully complete it in a matter of weeks and then some. I never worried about a backlog or everything because I finished each game I had long before I picked up something new.
However, as we get older, our tastes broaden, we're able to play more mature titles, and we can spend more of our own money on video games. It's not uncommon for me to buy 3-5 games a month now with new releases, sales, and whatnot. But what comes with that is increased responsibilities and strict time management. I absolutely have to treat gaming as a regimented "chore," if you will, because it's hard for me to set time aside to play something. I worry about my ever-growing backlog and which games are most important for me to play soonest. I recently had to drop all other games for over a month to play MGSV, which ate up 100 hours of my time. Several years ago? That would've been no problem. But now, I have to push myself in some ways to do anything like this, especially as a game journalist so I'm not only caught up on my favorite game series, but also personally "up-to-date" with what's popular.
I think you're on to something with people wanting to keep up with the most relevant games for the sake of conversation. I know I try to do that, but unlike you, I hardly care about getting trophies or 100% completion anymore. It's all about just getting through the main experience so I can move on to the next one, and while I dislike this structured mentality for doing something that should be unregulated fun, I have to do it because, well, I've got work to do! (ha ha)
I don't mind it though. As long as I can just set aside decent amounts of time for games I WANT to play (I toss games aside that don't compel me), I'm content with that. I just need to stop starting a game for 1-3 hours and not coming back to it for a long time!
@DrClayman Yeah! If this was their first effort (I think it is), it's nevertheless impressive! And I KNOW. I really want to know how they got away with some of those parodies! I definitely support fair use and creative liberties involved with satire, but come on...the Alien levels? The plays on names and character resemblances? I can't imagine they could get away with most of it without permission (ha ha). Either way, I love the cast, too. I practically jumped for joy when I saw Ellen Ripley, Neo, The Bride, and Mad Max! So cool.
@get2sammyb Ah, yes. I was confused by this as well at first! However, I think the lack of explanation is part of the game's charm. You just "GO!" and try to figure out the controls and how new characters work as the game goes along. And since it's not particularly challenging (on normal mode), I thought it was fun to stumble upon new tricks and nuances to some bros' abilities I didn't notice before (like Cherry Broling being able to shoot straight by pressing down on the analog stick).
@Johnnycide Thanks!
@Mahe In retrospect, this ALMOST sounds like a 9 (I see what you're saying!), but I was going for a review that sounds like a solid (or even a high) 8/10. I really wanted to give the game that score, but I couldn't in good conscience since the low frame rate during loads of action and boss battles is downright annoying. That little glitch at the start of missions really bugged me, too.
In a nutshell, the game's definitely an 8/10, but falls shy of that for the time being. I hope Free Lives Games fixes the problems soon!
@DrClayman As a game, I think Broforce is good, but it's really the irresistibly stupid charm of it that sells it for me. I think they could've added way more of the covert missions for unique bros to handle (there were only around four), made boss battles longer and more unique, eliminated some of the frustration that caused stupid deaths like blocks falling on me above the screen (ugh), and a couple other things. But overall, I couldn't stop smiling playing Broforce with the most motivational announcer of all time, the excessive explosions and violence, the hyper-masculinity of the characters, etc. Like I said above, definitely a solid 8/10 from me once the glitches are ironed out!
@Simon_Fitzgerald OH GOSH. Even his name is perfect for the game. lol
He better appear in the game like this though. At the very least, donning this glorious armor should be his special ability.
Really? Huh. Even still, I didn't like that audio effect if it was intentional. It would only happen when the frame rate would drop (1-3 explosions didn't do anything), so I assumed it was a performance issue rather than something purposeful. Hope they fix it anyway or add some kind of ringing sound to make it more obvious!
@themcnoisy Out of all the times I've come to Mother Base after 80 hours of playing, I've rarely done so when the sun was positioned like that, so I thought it looked really nice. Guess not.
Anyway, I don't take many screenshots as it is, so I scrounge up what I can whenever this column comes around. I'll try harder next time.
I thought the original box art fit the new DOOM (it being the classic FPS and all), but if I didn't vote for option B as an alternate cover, there would be something wrong with me. What an incredible-looking throwback!
@-FENRIS- Ah, but the fun in making those choices is that while they may not change the ultimate endings or course of the story, they honestly can reveal a lot about your morality and personality. One of the reasons why I can't wait to see how my big choices compared with everyone else's at the end of episodes to find out if I was in the minority or majority. And since some of these choices can drastically change which characters you see for an entire season and how they interact with you, I wouldn't say your choices don't make much of a difference. They do!
@BertoFlyingFox I would've liked that, too. More options to execute in combat would've been nice. And like I touched on in the review, I hope they do more with the hallucinations. Like, perhaps if you don't complete certain QTE events during an episode, perhaps something bad will happen to a character or it will decrease a partner's reliability in Michonne to handle herself. It definitely was something Pete was concerned about in this episode that you get to talk about it briefly with him, but it was dropped quickly. Guess we'll find out in Episode 2 if things get better!
@LieutenantFatman It was awesome to experience a Telltale game for myself in 60fps for the first time (last one I played was TWD Season 2 on PS3), but yes, they should be embarrassed they haven't updated their engine yet. It's been a problem since the beginning...come on! But yeah, at least the dev's stories keep these titles afloat.
But seriously, it depends on the game. For Shadow of Mordor and Dark Souls, I'd always fast-travel because it's not like you'll stumble across that many random or unexpected things. However, if we're talking about Skyrim or Dying Light (just started playing through this one), I really enjoy not having to fast-travel between locations because I know I'll stumble across surprises along the way that can't be missed. However, if we're talking about traveling back and forth down a similar path or going all the way across a world's map, there's NO way I'm going to travel all of that distance. So I guess I take a middle ground here. I enjoy taking in the scenery and maintaining the open world immersion when I have to travel short and medium distances to my objectives. But since I'm short for time, I will break that once in a while if I know a long journey will prove more lethargic than adventurous. For example, in MGSV, I'll travel halfway around the maps if there are other objectives nearby, because I might encounter a base that has soldiers with high-rankings along the way. But if it's all across the map? Like, over 2000 meters away? You know I'm calling in that helicopter and just redeploying in a closer spot.
After about 50 hours of gameplay, I've completed...oh...35 percent of MGSV so far. Should have another 15-20 hours to go before I finish the story, then I got to move on to other games. In the meantime, I'll definitely be playing The Division beta while it's going on.
Honestly, I like it. DOOM is the epitome of the first-person shooter, so it's only right it should have this type of cover. Could it have been better? Possibly a variation of the classic cover art as an awesome throwback? Sure, but it works for me.
Ugh...this is my favorite color. Dang it Sony, you tempt me so much! I really love the design of the console. Even the headset and controller are tempting just for the color! lol
YESYESYES. I'm SO looking forward to this game! Wind Waker art style and ICO-esque gameplay have had me anxiously waiting to here anything about it. Hopefully they'll announce a release date!
@carlos82 The aesthetics in Isolation are INSANE. Feels like you're in the first movie detail for detail. So glad I finished it a couple of months ago. Hope you enjoy it!
@get2sammyb North Carolina's governor declared a state of emergency earlier this week for snowstorm Jonas. Down in the south, we really aren't prepared for any snow. It's a rare occurrence unlike for people up north who deal with it all the time!
WHOA. Didn't expect that, but with the 600+ puzzles in the game, I'd say that's worth the price of entry. And considering this has been in development for about eight years, it makes even more sense.
I don't know why, but this game looks so bland to me. The combat looks lackluster, the open world is too bare, the whole animal-controlling gimmick looks like a simple means to an end (instead of having players emotionally invest in personal and long-term yet risky partnerships with animals you come to view as companions), and so on. There's not even a major focus on survival gameplay elements, which makes the game look too easy and straightforward (get animal companions, find new camps, destroy tribes, repeat). I mean, the whole premise is cool and it looks great, but I got a bad feeling this is going to get resounding "mehs" across the board when it releases.
@sub12 Huh, "sterile." Interesting word choice. Perhaps in the sense that the world looks highly detailed and natural, but you can't interact much with it besides running past it all? Or that there's barely any wildlife compared to past games? (you only fight skeletons, for the most part)
Yes, these things hurt this game so much. There's NO RPG elements at all compared to the other games, and the more open levels just hurt the whole experience. There were only 4-5 small areas in the entire game that were good challenges, but the rest were a breeze.
@Shillll YES, YES, AND YES. If anyone from Frozenbyte reads these comments, I too want to say that I deeply admire and respect their honesty about what happened with Trine 3. I truly want them to succeed since the other Trine games have been fantastic. It's just that sometimes ambition leads to failure rather than innovation, and I desperately hope they can move past this and deliver on Trine 4!
@Simon_Fitzgerald I can totally understand why they wanted to move into 3D platforming, but you're right. It just didn't work out. I remember reading that through development, they had to either abandon their pursuit of this or substantially redesign (i.e. leave out) aspects of the core gameplay, and the team went for the latter. I hope they move back to 2D platforming with the next one and stick to building on top of what Trine 2 accomplished. Based on how transparent Frozenbyte is and how receptive it seems to be from feedback, hopefully Trine 4 will be what the fans - like me! - are looking for.
@get2sammyb Oh, totally agree with that. Like I insinuated, 2014 was kind of weak for PlayStation. If it had come out this year, it would've definitely been around 4-7 on this year's list I'd reckon, but I get why SoM was praised so much in 2014. Looking back at it, I probably would've given it an 8. But I'd personally give it an 8.5. Not quite a 9. I was willing to forgive some of its shortcomings, but I get why some weren't so willing to do that!
Looking back at 2014, I really don't see how it's surprising that Shadow of Mordor won, @get2sammyb (I noticed you've been mentioning it after several articles). It certainly had its problems, but it was arguably among the top five best games that year without question, especially considering we were hardly alone in that opinion.
Like, you got Inquisition, Dark Souls II, Transistor, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Alien: Isolation...not much else I can think of. :/ Now, it IS a TRAVESTY that The New Order didn't even make our list.
Anyway, I say I like this lineup a bit better than our own Top 10 list. Nice choices, readers!
@BAMozzy Ha, it does have a better "story" than what Battlefront had. But no, I understand what you're saying. TTK walks an interstitial line between DLC and a "full" game. It brings forward a new 6-hour campaign, plenty of new missions and quests, weapons, armor, and improvements over the original game. I'm critiquing TTK as a stand-alone game though; I don't need to take the original in consideration...but I am, so yes, perhaps I'm being hypocritical. :/ But for the sake of being close, I just went with it being a game. As for RE5, @stevie85 and @get2sammyb know what's best! (ha ha) I actually liked RE5 and believe it gets a lot of unfair hate, too. However, you're right when you say it fails to convey a sense of horror and atmosphere like the previous games. Those are things RE5 is lacking. And while I don't think Sheva is as bad as people make her out to be...yeah, she has her problems!
But like the other guys said, I think it's a dang solid game in itself as a more action-packed title, especially since the gameplay manages to accomplish this even with similar controls to RE4. It plays nicely, looks great, has a dumb, fun story, and has great co-op. RE6 is where things went wrong where they essentially made RE a complete third-person shooter. That didn't work. -_-
@Boerewors I'm doing fantastic! How are you?
@kyleforrester87 Thanks! And yeah, TOB may not be as good as TNO, but I still thought it was fantastic. I just think people had their standards set too high after playing TNO, but what it doesn't do as well can't be ignored for sure.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Really? Those are things I loved more about R2 compared to RE6. RE5 was good, but...I don't know, I think I liked R2 better! The toned-down action, gloomier, disturbing atmosphere, and so on really helped R2 to be something the franchise hasn't had for a while.
@SonyInfinity Oh yeah, gotta do that every now and then! (ha ha)
@AnubisLK8T2 That's a debate for another time. But yes, I get what you're saying. It is DLC, but it technically is quite a large thing in and of itself with a new 6-hour campaign. But believe me, I debated with myself about whether or not to include it as well!
@DerMeister Thanks! And I agree: TOB didn't get as much love as it deserves, and R2 was SO good. Best RE I've played since RE4 in my opinion.
@Splat @ShogunRok I'm also baffled this made it above Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3, but whatever. I get that RL is an extremely well-refined and addictive game, but it's just a reiteration of Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars and several cars hitting a ball back and forth.
I know that's poorly reductionist, but I just don't get RL personally. I tried it out and wasn't grabbed by it, but hey, I acknowledge it deserves to be on the GOTY list without question.
Just not in 2nd place. Maybe more like somewhere between 4th and 6th.
@sub12 Yep! Those are definitely reasons to like it. Like I said, TOB takes traditional FPS tropes and makes them strengths rather than weaknesses because there's intent behind the older vibes to it. Compared to TNO, it's an awesome chance of pace!
@kyleforrester87 I don't think all of what made TNO great was pulled out of TOB. There are surely remnants of those meaningful character interactions with Kessler, Annete, and Agents 1 and 2. Some of the open-level aspects are maintained in some areas on a smaller scale despite the more linear focus in TOB. But yeah, I totally agree TNO is a superior game. It's twice as big and twice as long, and it's one of my favorites on the PS4, too! Didn't think B.J. and Arya's relationship was the most compelling thing in the game, but I get what you're saying. Their love was authentic and felt natural in a lot of ways given their circumstances.
@sub12 Bingo!
@kyleforrester87 "It was poetic, emotional, cheesy and stupid all in perfect measure." THAT'S what makes these games so special. They juggle an impossible dichotomy of themes yet pull them all off at once, particularly TNO.
@Johnnycide Same! I wish it had made our GOTY list last year, but alas. I hope to see a sequel as well in the next 2-3 years as well!
@dryrain This would likely be 4 or 5 on my list had I played the likes of Arkham Knight, Witcher 3, and so forth, but out of what I played, this is where it happened to end up. Glad you liked it!
@sinalefa Do it! Do it! You can get it on Amazon easily for less than $20. You'll likely find it for less than $15 or even $10 on some occasions! Definitely give this a go if you can on the PS4.
@crazykcarter I agree. It took a little bit for me to adjust to the feel of gameplay, but once I settled into it, it grew on me really quickly. Awesome to hear you'll be picking it up!
@BAMozzy Oh, well I wouldn't put it above those AAA games you mentioned. I just said it should be among the best games of 2015. Not above or necessarily equal to them. BO3 is...well, I think its campaign is way more fun and well-crafted than BO3's, so I'd recommend it excluding multiplayer and zombies. But yeah, content wise, perhaps BO3 is the better deal. But still, you can get TOB for $15 easily...that's a steal.
Yeah, I'm glad they added both chapters together. The experience felt fuller and more consistent that way. And I agree that the second half is weaker. Not by too much in my opinion, but the first half does seem longer and more robust.
@special_donkey Since TOB is a prequel to TNO, it'd be best for you to probably play it first since it's shorter than TNO and perfectly ties into the beginning of its story. That way you get to experience part of those amazing games, but if you have more time to spare, then you could delve into the amazing TNO. Your call!
@Gamer83 True story. I really want to play those games! But yeah, it's the same for Wolfenstein. The franchise has been ignored a lot since last year. That's why I loved TotalBiscuit's (have you heard of that YouTuber?) GOTY choice last year, which was TNO. He explains perfectly why it's one of the best FPS games in years, something many of my fellow game journalists didn't pick up on much for some reason. :/
Comments 296
Re: E3 2016: Battlefield 1 Really Does Look Quite Extraordinary
This does look phenomenal, especially with the environments. Love how the music is classicly orchestral instead of dubstep, too. That's a relief for me! (ha ha)
Re: E3 2016: Wolfenstein: The New Colossus May Be the Next Title from Machine Games
I KNEW there must have been something hidden in there since it went by so fast. Considering they're in chronological and series order, I have no doubt that's a tease for a new Wolfenstein.
Would've liked a teaser trailer, but...I'll take what I can get, I suppose.
Re: Feature: Is Crash Bandicoot Coming to PS4? 10 Reasons to Believe He Is
It has to happen. The teasing has only become more blatant over time. Besides, if Sony wants to somehow top what they did last year at E3, showing a reveal trailer for a new Crash Bandicoot is an absolute must. If not at E3, then hopefully at PSX.
Re: Yooka-Laylee Looks Like Pure PS4 Platforming Goodness
And this is why I backed it on Kickstarter. Glad to see that it's come a LONG way since the test footage!
Re: PS4 Controller Selected Best for PC Gaming
DS4 Windows is a bit tricky to set up with some games in particular, but I love using it, especially if I can map some inputs to the touchpad in intuitive ways! The Xbox One controller sure is nice, but I personally prefer the placement of the analog sticks on the DS4 and how it just feels less bulky and heavy in my hands with its slim, ergonomic build.
Re: Weirdness: Uncharted 4's Rolling Stones Will Blow Your Mind
@Matroska Ah, that's true. Relatively speaking, those accomplishments shouldn't be made light of. I just meant that I'm referring to games since the last-gen started because , for me, I always seem to stumble across games that don't have reflecting mirrors. It's weird and drives me insane! So that's why I assumed it must be tough to do when, in fact, it probably isn't most of the time. Developers are just lazy about it, like Ready at Dawn with The Order as @get2sammyb pointed out. But yeah, whenever they do reflect, it's a sign of attention to detail to me, which is why I specifically mentioned that here.
And that Deadly Premonition example you gave is awesome! I never would've guessed it would have that!
Re: Weirdness: Uncharted 4's Rolling Stones Will Blow Your Mind
@Matroska We're talking about modern games here. I don't know why, but it's rare when you'll stumble across one with half-decent mirror reflections (of any at all). U4 goes all the way, which I didn't expect. I guess it's just hard to program in games most of the time.
Re: Weirdness: Uncharted 4's Rolling Stones Will Blow Your Mind
@get2sammyb As soon as I personally witnessed that you could look in mirrors, I knew I was in for a visually technical masterpiece. For some reason, even the greatest feats of graphical prowess always have mirrors that don't reflect! But U4's not only show the main character, but also accurately change with the background. Add that to the facial animation, lighting, physics like in the GIF you posted...gosh, I really don't know how Naughty Dog does it.
Re: Review: DOOM (PS4)
@RawShark Aww, don't spoil the fun of looking it up!
@kyleforrester87 Thanks! With that blatantly open sequel bait, I'm sure we'll be playing as the DOOM Marine again in a couple years!
@adf86 It is strange, but I suppose they weren't going to have the multiplayer and SnapMap modes ready until launch. It did give me cause for concern since I had nothing but positive expectations for DOOM, but my worries were unfounded in the end! And yes, I'd love to see Bethesda do a new Quake next since they are on a role with FPS games!
@sub12 Right. It could've certainly been better and will likely loss followers over the the next few months (IF it doesn't change), but to say that it's flat-out bad is, in my opinion, disingenuous. All id Software needs to do is add modes like Deathmatch, CTF, and one where you can only pick up guns around maps. Then we'd have a better multiplayer on our hands! And yes, the single-player portion is worth the price of entry alone.
@MadAussieBloke A lot of his complaints come from the multiplayer, which I don't believe should detract from the value of the campaign. Even if it were a universally hated component, attempting to score the game would prove difficult. Should the game still receive a high score, or should the additional mode drag the campaign down with it? That's a tough question to answer, but I don't agree that the multiplayer is "unmemorable." Sure, in its current state I won't be playing it that much later this year (again, only if it doesn't change), but I think it scratches some of that trigger-finger, frantic gameplay itch that's missing in so many online shooters. The multiplayer may not be inspirational, but it can provide tons of fun regardless.
And I was surprised by some of his comments on how you play. "So if you run in circles around the kill chamber, shooting behind you and dodging projectiles, you can kill the majority of the enemies within — only after you've thinned the herd of Demons can you then start running forward and killing them by circle-strafing (running around them in circles)." That's something I didn't do. It can be done, but since enemies spawn all around the arenas and behave differently, attempting to corral demons would prove laborious and not worth the time. I found myself always switching from moving backward and forward at a moment's notice to seize opportunities to escape a crowd of demons or go in guns blazing. It's more fun to play that way and the game encourages this kind of "on your feet" strategy, which this reviewer seemed to circumvent to his own detriment to a certain degree.
@DrClayman Even as someone who didn't grow up on this old style of shooter, I'd LOVE to see more like DOOM in this day and age. It's a refreshingly new experience for younger audiences like myself and a nostalgic trip for shooter veterans!
@carlos82 TNO was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. If you loved that, you're going to adore this! And yeah, loadouts are a curious thing. I think they have their place in this multiplayer, but I think separate modes of the existing ones that disable them would be perfect.
@Melucine Based on what I know about the classic games and playing the campaign for 16+ hours, I'd say this is a reboot. It doesn't canonically work with the older games and completely re-imagines the DOOM Marine's origins, so it simply borrows a lot of themes and plot points from the original games and reworks them into a more cohesive structure.
@get2sammyb Right, story takes a backseat in DOOM for good reason. But like I said, I still think a lot of the locations, character profiles, and lore are really cool to sit back and read for a couple minutes! I was truly fascinated with how the game tries to explain away UAC's preposterous motives and the demons' physiology, origins, etc. It's all ridiculous, but I couldn't help but laugh at how much the game tries to treat itself seriously with a figurative smirk.
@Boerewors That's a good point, and I considered lowering the score to an 8 for that very reason (plus some legitimate issues with the campaign). But it's a tough thing to consider as I mentioned in my reply to @MadAussieBloke
@AXEL314 YES, I love how they implemented the old door sound! And the easter eggs are surprisingly well-placed and fun to find. All in all, I'm sure it won't be my GOTY, but I'm pretty confident it will remain my FPS of 2016.
I switched my cover to the reversible side as soon as I got the game. It's so beautiful!
@Grawlog Believe me, I had a tough time deciding whether this would be an 8 or 9! However, there's so much that DOOM does right over what is does wrong that I just had to push it to a 9. If this were a more precise rating, I would've given DOOM an 8.75, but I rounded that off to a 9 with our official scoring policy since it's honestly one of the best shooters I've played in years next to Wolfenstein: The New Order. And yeah, I hope the multiplayer improves as well. Thanks for reading!
@SkanetWasTaken I won't lie, the intro was pretty sick! I don't think it reaches the soul-crushing levels of TLoU, but it's still an awesome way to settle players into the game.
@Majic12 Totally agree. DOOM is something everyone should have a go at, whether they're an FPS fan or not. It may have its problems, but boy is it still a thrill!
Re: Soapbox: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered's Infinite Warfare Exclusivity Is a Disaster
@itshoggie Right. Sledgehammer might have more time to adapt to this, so I totally understand why Infinity Ward went with the near-future IW. And it might just be the worst selling CoD in several years, even if it turns out to be really good (which would be a bummer for the developer). And yeah, now that we've got three instead of two taking turns with the franchise, you'd expect more diversity and back-and-forth in terms of where the devs take the settings, gameplay, etc. I think Advanced Warfare was one of the best indicators of this diversity since the gameplay, in my opinion, felt like the most unique CoD in years, but yeah. Here's hoping things are more greatly shaken up next year.
@Ps4all Right! It's a really good deal if you want both games, which is why I'll be buying the bundle. And I don't know...I kind of disagree that people wouldn't buy IW if MWR came out side-by-side. I think a lot of people won't even bother or just wait out if they only want MWR. And even if a good amount purchase the bundle only for MWR, they won't be playing IW anyway or just sell it immediately. To me, it's why just going ahead and releasing both games separately at launch will look better and be more profitable for Activision. It gives off the idea that it's confident in IW's quality alone, rather than relying on MWR to carry it.
@consolfreak1982 That's why I believe the bundle will entice people even more if it's $20 less than if one were to buy MWR separately for $20 more. Are droves of people really willing to pay $80 for a remaster alone? And who's to say how many pre-owned copies of IW will be flooding the market, thereby - as I said - devaluing its worth in retail? If this is the general impression a lot of people are getting, I can guarantee many will be planning to just pick up IW pre-owned rather than new since so many people who are willing to buy it only for MWR will toss it to the side for $40-50 online in new condition. However, it's hard to say how people will behave later on and what Activision plans to do, so my guesses are decent at best!
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Oh! My apologies. That's a possibility, though. Honestly it's the most likely outcome to expect from all of this to sucker in those who only want MWR by buying both games at launch in the Legacy editions and then releasing it separately later on for the patient folk. It might be a bad idea though, and yes, it could very well affect the franchise's sales next year!
@PorllM But that's not accounting for how many people are planning on not even playing IW and selling it. Depending on how many people do this, it could have an adverse effect on IW's sales down the road as I detailed in responding to @consolfreak1982. And I'd disagree that we've seen something like this happen before. MWR is a really big deal, and the potential for it to sell like hotcakes in Nov. compared to several months down the line seems greater to me. I have no doubt, like you said, it will eventually be released later on, but is that really the best decision considering all of the factors? Hmm...
@BAMozzy Sure. And you could say they are remastering the whole game, it's just those 10 multiplayer maps that will be missing. I'm still on the side that despite that fact, this still warrants a separate release. Like, I just look at some of the remastered games out there like the Definitive editions of Tomb Raider and Dishonored and laugh because they were sold on their own and, compared to MWR, the amount of effort and overhauling it's receiving is far greater than either of those games. I get why it's a present of sorts for the hardcore fans of CoD, but that's not including everyone who loved CoD4 and jumped off years ago. There will be so many who want this that were casual fans back in the day, but they'll skip out on the bundle at launch since it costs $80. But a $40 standalone release? People would be all over that.
Thanks for the statistics! And yes, there's no doubt that the modern games have sold really well, but the fact the franchise has peaked and is slowly declining in sales is troubling. You'd think interest would grow over time (with new, younger audiences and all), but MW3 was the point where people started to fall off, likely a lot of older fans. So, I think by giving younger fans IW, older fans MWR, and people who want both the bundle, you're bringing in a full force of CoD fans that, combined together, would result in amazing sales for both. Maybe!
I'm sure some aspects of that kind of gameplay will make it into IW, and I hope they do, but I honestly hopped off BO3 faster than any other CoD. For some reason, I'm just no good at its multiplayer, despite the fact I've always been able to turn out good matches in past games. Might have to do with the greater verticality of maps or the boosted health of players, but maybe Infinity Ward will strike the balance I'm looking for.
Oh gosh, I think CoD4 still has the best stealth missions. And yeah, it brought so much to the table with multiplayer, but I certainly remember all the flaws it had with perks and balancing. That's why I'm saying it might have the same setup but will accordingly balance out some things like Juggernaut and Stopping Power to be less effective. One can hope.
Oh, I'm not saying that will be possible. Of course it will need to be opened. But for those who want IW, they'll essentially be getting it new as a pre-owned item just without MWR for a cheaper price than the retail version. That's what I'm thinking will affect the sales of the standalone version of IW if MWR isn't sold separately as well.
@W0rJ4ckie People are quick to judge, so I also have no doubt a lot of these "fans" will be crawling back to CoD. (ha ha) But how many is the question? We're not talking BF3 vs. MW3, we're talking about two games with completely different settings, and one of them has what the majority wants. B1 might just have the upper hand this time, but it's definitely too early to tell if that will be the case with sales.
Re: Interview: Insomniac Games Discusses the Past, Present, and Future of Ratchet & Clank
@itshoggie Oh, for sure. I have a friend who's played the 3rd one over 10 times! It truly is one of the best R&C games, and 2 is really good as well! And it's unfortunate that you're playing the Vita versions (I've heard the PS3 ports are much better), but they're still great games. Definitely keep going!
Re: Interview: Insomniac Games Discusses the Past, Present, and Future of Ratchet & Clank
@Grawlog Thanks! And yeah, I'm a bit skeptical as well. I do like how much effort they're putting into the tech, so hopefully their work will be among the best Oculus has to offer.
@carlos82 Oh, I'm sure your stepson will enjoy it. It's hardly as awful as some critics have made it out to be, but I wouldn't call it a great movie either. It's just...fine. It doesn't do anything remarkable, but it offers some harmless fun.
@naut It's equal parts going soft and being less "edgy" compared to the original games. I recently rewatched some of the cutscenes from the original games and, while a lot of the humor is great, some of it just falls flat and comes across as trying too hard. That's why the tone of the games has gotten friendlier in some good ways, but at the same time, aspects of the humor take a nosedive in originality by appealing to younger audiences. But overall, I do think this has been slightly detrimental over time, which is particularly evident in this game and the movie.
@DerMeister No problem! Glad you enjoyed it.
@itshoggie Ahh, that's awesome! You'll love those games. Definitely plan on playing A Crack in Time and Into the Nexus! Those are some awesome Ratchet & Clank games.
@Gamer83 Definitely. It'd be silly of Sony to drop Ratchet & Clank. I can get behind "re-imaginings" of the first trilogy of games if Insomniac has an advisory role at the very least, but I'd prefer a new game in the series that continues the story with Insomniac at the helm or a new developer taking on a prequel story involving Ratchet's father or something. That'd be awesome!
@Churchy I love doing interviews! It's hard to do them, but I hope we do more in the future as well.
@Hordak Whoa, that's quite a threat there. But yeah, I wish there could be another Resistance game too. It'd be nice if Sony got another developer to work on the franchise since Insomniac has apparently abandoned it.
Re: Soapbox: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered's Infinite Warfare Exclusivity Is a Disaster
Part 3. I'll be back to check the comments section later. Joey needs a break now.
@Rudy_Manchego Thanks for commenting! This does give cause for concern that Activision doesn’t have as much faith in newer Call of Duty games and is therefore banking on CoD4 to help carry IW, but like you said, “I am not sure it is good long term business.” Activision will still make a profit this fall, but how much that will entail depends on if it adapt its plans for bundling both games.
@DerMeister Bingo. That’s what makes B1 so fresh as a FPS. WW2 has been beaten to death, but WW1 has been barely touched, even during the PS2 era! For DICE to go back to that period is risky in this console generation, but risk entails exploring new grounds, and that’s what a lot of people have desired for a while. DICE is giving it to them, but for better or worse remains to be seen.
Right. The least Activision can do is release later on separately, but I think this would be detrimental to not only MWR’s sales, but also IW’s sales. It could be minor in the end, yes, but releasing them separately at launch seems the wiser decision to me.
@JaxonH It’s why I gave up on Assassin’s Creed. I love the games, but...gosh, I can’t keep up with them! I think CoD fits this cycle, but it would be nice to see the brand branch out to the third-person shooter genre or something every other year to at least separate the releases of FPSs. And I haven’t pre-ordered B1 either despite my mentioning it positively in the article, but if the gameplay looks promising and receives positive reception from live demos, I’ll be following your lead by getting on the B1 hype train.
@sham8nix It’s not just the very concept of this bundle that might turn off people, but also the message it sends in how confident Activision might actually be in IW. I like how you point that out as a reason for you not being interested in the games for now. It’s definitely a valid reason.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Ha, that’d be nice! But as I said a couple times above, I think a good portion of damage will have already been dealt in that time period. If that’s the way it has to be, fine. But Activision would likely be serving itself much more generously if it separately released the games at launch.
@RaymanFan2 Exactly! All the more reason to release it at launch!
@itshoggie I see what you’re saying, but MWR screams to be sold as a separate game. I’ve truly never seen a remaster of this depth sold as an extra for a collector’s edition. It just doesn’t make sense to me, and Activision will be sacrificing a lot of retail sales should it not separate both games. And yes, I expect Sledgehammer Games to follow up IW with a Vietnam or WW2 FPS. If it doesn’t, well...I can’t imagine the amount of negative reception another near-future CoD game would receive next year.
Re: Soapbox: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered's Infinite Warfare Exclusivity Is a Disaster
Okay, part 2.
@Boerewors Exactly! I pose a similar strategy in the third paragraph from the bottom. I think it would be more than fair to sell MWR separately at launch for $30-40 and no one will complain, even if it’s only $20 bundled with IW. Can you imagine how many copies would fly off the shelves? I’m not even including the holiday season! And yes, I definitely know Activision is in this for the money, but if it wants to truly earn as much as it can, it will reconsider its current ideas and do something similar to what you suggested. I think $60 is a bit steep, but $40 is definitely reasonable. I see that price tag being the most viable path for a separate release that will satisfy everyone.
@xStormxBringeRx Hmm...I can see MW2 happening with Sledgehammer’s next Call of Duty, but Treyarch? I think it would remaster World at War if anything. I can still see this being a pattern for future Call of Duty games though: a new CoD + a remaster. I just hope future titles won’t emulate what’s going on now, but if it turns out to be successful, I guess we’ll have to get used to it and hope Activision will release the games separately down the line. But I have my doubts about that success.
@TomKongPhooey And you’re the kind of person I’m talking about in this article! You’re a lost customer for Activision, but it could have you at launch if it sells MWR separately. I hope this will happen!
@Flopsy Oh yeah, I’m sure it will still sell well! But I believe some of the, um, “masses” won’t be willing to get MWR once they find out they have to buy the new game. Keep in mind there’s likely droves of these people who haven’t played CoD in years that will catch wind of this and want to re-experience CoD4 again, but won’t be bothered for $80. I’m no expert on economics, but I can’t shake the gut feeling that this masterplan isn’t as smart as Activision thinks it is. What’s important is that it needs to capture fans’ attention in the holiday season with a separate MWR rather than later on. The opportunity to garner the most interest and hype surrounding it will be during IW’s release, so I guess we’ll see where all of this goes.
@TXP Thanks! I don’t care what anyone says...MW2 and 3 may have been dumber than the first game, but strike me down if I say I didn’t have fun playing them! It’s an excellent trilogy, and the top dog deserves more special treatment than this.
@Boerewors I agree that people who feel entitled to MWR for only $20 separately need a reality check (ha ha). There’s a way to compromise between both parties here, and I feel like you and I came to some reasonable, similar solutions. As for WW1 Battlefield, I think it’ll hardly be accurate to history. It will certainly use weapons, vehicles, and settings from that period, but like you said, I think they’re going to greatly exaggerate the action and diversity of combat with experimental equipment to keep things interesting. That’ what resonates with people, whereas IW boasts the same type of time period that has been in every CoD for the past couple years with a slight spin everyone saw coming (being in space). I think it could definitely work, but as @get2sammyb said, B1 stands out from the crowd while IW doesn’t despite its cool ideas. It’s somewhat of a shame, really, but people aren’t really...open or forgiving to games these days.
@BAMozzy Same. And great points about CoD4. I concede that it’s not as groundbreaking as people think it is from a critical perspective, but I still think it’s a phenomenal entry despite its flaws.
I’m sure Raven is planing to balance out the multiplayer without compromising what made it unique. And while CoD4 didn’t sell as much as its sequels, you’ve got to keep in mind that this was after CoD3. When comparing the sales of that game to CoD4, the difference is astronomical due to its critical reception and because it was the first modern CoD. The subsequent games significantly owe it for their success, especially MW2. It’s no wonder that it performed so well compared to World at War based on name recognition alone!
MWR may not come with all the multiplayer maps, but I find it somewhat disparaging to call it a “bonus.” It may come with less maps in multiplayer, but it only has six less than the original (not including the DLC). If this remaster only had the campaign, that would be one thing, but the fact most of the multiplayer is intact, it’s just baffling that this remaster doesn’t justify a separate release. Just an HD touch up? Fine. Only the campaign? Sure. But multiplayer and the campaign with new cutscenes, remade assets, motion capture, new graphical upgrades, and more? I personally think MWR is more than a bonus, and Activision knows it. Where do they plan to go with this...
Re: Soapbox: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered's Infinite Warfare Exclusivity Is a Disaster
The great thing about these soapboxes is that people are able to tear apart everything I say and point out things I forgot to mention. Love it. Okay, let's see...
@get2sammyb DANG IT. I forgot to mention in the article that, yes, selling it at a later date is likely. Activision may be foolish enough (imo) to maintain its current plans for bundling it with Infinite Warfare, but it'd just be lunacy to not sell it separately at some point. And the fact that IW is attempting to leech off Modern Warfare's legacy to reel in consumers could be a very telltale sign that Activision has not only lost some faith in CoD's continued success as a whole, but also Infinity Ward after Ghosts marked a low point. But if Activision really wants to make more revenue, they'll separate IW and MWR. I doubt the amount of people willing to compromise and buy the former to get the latter will be greater than those that choose to skip out entirely. MWR may indeed outsell IW in that case, but money is money...if Activision likes it, I really think they'd sell it separately at launch rather than later on.
Like you said, I also have no doubt IW will sell well, but Activision has got to pull a Battlefield 1 next year to go against the grain of the present/near-future time periods of FPS games for the past 10 years. For now, it just has to work with what its got.
@FullbringIchigo Hmm, this would be interesting! Releasing it on the same date (or afterwards at the very least) is more likely, but getting people hyped up for IW with MWR would be an interesting tactic. Perhaps it could entice people with a special demo or access to a closed beta if it came out early? It’s a possibility, but I unfortunately don’t see it happening.
@kyleforrester87 Yeah, it is in retrospect! I suppose “shameful” or “foolish” would’ve been a better word to use. Anyway, you also pointed out the one possibility I forgot to mention about it being released later on. (I get the feeling I’m going to find this everywhere in the comments section below. ) I wouldn’t put it past Activision for pulling this either, but the language it’s using to describe MWR’s exclusivity is troubling so far, and those bad possibilities I mentioned near the end would only solidify suspicions that this won’t be sold separately down the road. I think the publisher is already going to lose more customers by not doing this at the onset of IW’s release, but that’s just my prediction at best.
@LieutenantFatman Thanks! I don’t think anyone should ever forget what Gearbox did with that game. It was embarrassing for the whole industry, and the developer should have hurdles to jump if it seeks to regain its reputation in the future. But hey, glad you enjoyed the article, too!
@Draythedestroyer Thanks! You know, one thing I want people to understand is that I don’t say anywhere that I think Battlefield 1 will be better. For all I know, IW might tear it apart! I’m just saying that from a purely consumer-oriented perspective, B1 is the result of EA listening to what shooter fans have wanted to return to for years, whereas Activision isn’t willing to take a risk like that yet. However, just as I thought, it seems like EA’s boldness is paying off, which might give it the edge over Call of Duty this year.
@Serenadeofsins Yeah, it’s hard, man. It’s not like the bundle is a bad deal, it’s just whether or not you think getting a hold of MWR is worth $80 for the time being. Like I said, I’m looking forward to both games, so I went ahead and pre-ordered the Legacy edition because...why not? It’s not like what Activision is doing is harmful to the industry. It’s just stupid. It can go ahead and go through with what it has planned now and I personally won’t mind, but I’m just saying that this is inconvenient for a lot of other people and will cost the publisher some profit, especially if the season pass locks MWR DLC behind it and whatnot. Now, if stuff like this actually happens, I’ll think about cancelling my pre-order or forgetting the season pass because I don’t want to deal with that. I might just cancel it altogether because I only pre-ordered it to get a sweet MWR poster, so...yeah.
@SkanetWasTaken I like how Dwight is Treyarch and is trying to get everyone to calm down.
@darkswabber That’s the option I’d pick!
@dryrain Theoretically speaking, that’s exactly what Activision hopes to accomplish. And while I have no doubt a lot of people will compromise and get IW to have MWR, the backlash to this decision cannot be ignored. So many people are saying they’ll just resell the game or not by the games at all, so there’s already going to be a split in the player base because of this. It’s not like people who buy IW to get MWR will also play I. They’re going to play MWR! There’s going to be a split no matter what happens, so I believe it’s best to cater to that natural divide by selling the games separately (and together for those who want both), which should effectively increase the amount of players who will play MWR without entirely compromising IW’s success at launch. But who knows! You might be right in the end.
@Gamer83 I never called IW a disaster nor B1 the “second coming.” I actually see a lot of potential for both games, but to judge their quality from launch trailers would be naive. I just think the bundle itself is a disaster in the making for the backlash it’s received that might have minor yet significant financial repercussions for Activision. And yes, I definitely remember that time period where people clamored for modern shooters, but we’ve seen this time period explored tirelessly for over 10 years. It’s time to mix it up a bit, and B1 might just do that in a way we haven’t seen before. (When’s the last time you’ve seen a WW1 shooter?) But that wasn’t really the point of the article. I’m just saying if Activision wants to be seen more favorably by consumers, it will sell MWR at launch separately to doubly contend alongside IW with B1.
Re: Battlefield 5 Leaked Artwork Is Not What You Expect
How interesting! Definitely love how this is the time period they're going for. We need a WW1/WW2 era shooter, but with a weird twist as well, perhaps? Color my interest more piqued to see the reveal trailer later today.
Re: Here's Your Very First Look at Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare on PS4
Black Ops III really let me down, but as a longtime fan of the franchise, I'm keeping a close eye on this one. Going to watch the upcoming reveal trailer and eventual E3 demo with great interest. It'd be really nice to see Infinity Ward redeem itself after Ghosts.
The MW Remaster is a no-brainer though. That's a day one purchase for me.
Re: Hands On: Pyre Illuminates the Night Sky with Playable Demo at PAX East
@get2sammyb SOLD.
Re: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Being Remastered for PS4
Huh, I wonder if Infinite will be in the same universe as Modern Warfare, since they're not continuing with the Ghosts storyline? Hmm...either way, I know I'll be buying this for the remastered CoD4! Some people are saying that since it's only "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered," this could actually include the whole trilogy, but I doubt it. As long as we're talking about the original campaign and (hopefully) multiplayer, I'm so in.
Re: Bastion, Transistor Dev Announces Pyre for PS4
OH. Well, that came out of nowhere! Loving the art style and music as usual, but I've got to see more of the gameplay to get a better impression of what Supergiant is going for. In the meantime, I'm still stoked for this!
Re: Video: 5 Subtleties That Make the Souls Series One of PlayStation's Best
@get2sammyb You're telling an American to catch all the intricate nuances in the dozens of varying British accents? Madness! No wonder @ShogunRok was giving me that look.
@SKC_Diamond That profile picture of me is actually in a costume...so yes, I've been thinking about changing it recently to represent what I look like...on normal days. (ha ha)
@Boerewors Not going to say I disagree.
Re: Soapbox: Subtleties of the Souls Series That Make It Special
@BenTarrant Thanks, Ben! By the way, I've got to say that I love the avatar. One of my favorite movies!
@get2sammyb Thanks as well, Sammy! Yeah, I didn't notice a lot of these things either until I really thought about them for this article. It was hard to come up with some because so many people have already done excellent dissections of the series, but since I've been playing Demon's Souls recently and noticed how the series has these recurrent subtleties, I was able to pick up on them more easily. Glad you liked it!
@Hego I've considered doing a piece on things I hate about the Souls series (still love the games, of course!). How the game doesn't explain things well like multiplayer would be one point. I get the whole vague angle that FromSoftware is coming from, but with regard to using some items, putting together some aspects of the stories, explaining other mechanics and features, and so on, the Souls series is too vague to the point where many have to rely on external sources to play the game more effectively...which is a sign of lackluster communication to the player in the games' design.
Anyway, you cover some things I love about these games, too. And yes, people saying this game is so hard is another thing I hate. That's not the fault of the games themselves, but everybody makes them out to be these hellish titles that are no fun. They're honestly no harder than playing some first-person shooters or action-adventure games on the hardest difficulty. The Souls series just makes progress slow and steady because it requires precision and patience on the player's part. So it's largely not unfairly challenging, just demanding. I actually stayed away from the games for a long time because of the reputation they had, but once I got into them, I was irritated at how people made them out to be! I wish a lot more people knew what these games were really like.
@AyeHaley Ah, wonderful points! You've got a beautifully condensed list on what makes these games awesome at their cores. By the way...
"People think the combat is too hard and unfair while its one of the fairest and coolest combat systems in the industry. It's more about overcoming fear."
YES, YES, AND YES. Although I do think the games are a bit mischievous with the difficulty at times with some unfair things, as a whole they're exceptionally fair. You can only blame yourself when you die in combat.
@Illusionistt That's great to hear! Thanks for the compliment, too. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this...but even though I've played all the Souls games, Bloodborne is the only one I've managed to finish. They're so long, and I've gotten badly stuck in all of them except for Bloodborne! I need to go back and finish them all. At least I'm getting started by playing through Demon's Souls right now!
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi It's so scary when that happens. It'll honestly jolt me out of my couch whenever I encounter a new enemy that does that! And yes, besides the technical issues (frame rate woes are the major issue that hold Bloodborne back a hair, for example), the series is exceptionally consistent in maintaining its reputation with the slight exception of Dark Souls II for some folk (I have yet to play through the whole thing to make my own judgment).
Re: Weirdness: Snake, Roy Campbell, and Psycho Mantis Are, Er, Promoting Ford Cars
@clvr Well, looks like someone finally pointed it out after two years of writing here! lol You'd be correct. Thinking about changing it at some point in the near future though...
Re: Video: Whose Treasure Is Drake Tryin' to Take in Uncharted 4 on PS4?
Man, you're putting out some quality stuff, @get2sammyb! Didn't know about the historical context behind this outing of Nathan Drake, so thanks for the info. Really enjoyed your other videos too!
Re: Poll: Will You Be Buying Final Fantasy XV?
I haven't paid too much attention to FFXV since it's been in development limbo for so long, but from what I've heard and seen, I'm honestly not ecstatic for it. But that's not to say I'm not highly interested. Things like the Kingdom Hearts-esque combat, cool universe, and potential for great camaraderie and character development of the all-male cast have caught my attention. But I'm worried about how packed the open world will be, traversal, how much the game will rely on activities that will likely lose their appeal quickly (ride Chocobos, fish, drive, etc.), and simply if 10+ years of development have negatively affected the project.
I haven't been invested in the FF franchise since I've only played FFX (which was good!), but since I adore Kingdom Hearts, I'll definitely pick up FFXV if it's received positively.
Re: Soapbox: Why Do We Treat Gaming Like a Chore?
@get2sammyb I think this mentality of treating games like a chore comes with one's transition into adulthood in most cases. Before the mid-teenage years, nearly everyone had all the time in the world to play the games they wanted to play, and since this usually entailed having less titles to go through (by having to rely on parents for buying games, building up an allowance, etc.), we scoured through everything we bought with no problems. I can tell you that I used to buy one game every 2-3 months when I was younger, and it was weird if I didn't fully complete it in a matter of weeks and then some. I never worried about a backlog or everything because I finished each game I had long before I picked up something new.
However, as we get older, our tastes broaden, we're able to play more mature titles, and we can spend more of our own money on video games. It's not uncommon for me to buy 3-5 games a month now with new releases, sales, and whatnot. But what comes with that is increased responsibilities and strict time management. I absolutely have to treat gaming as a regimented "chore," if you will, because it's hard for me to set time aside to play something. I worry about my ever-growing backlog and which games are most important for me to play soonest. I recently had to drop all other games for over a month to play MGSV, which ate up 100 hours of my time. Several years ago? That would've been no problem. But now, I have to push myself in some ways to do anything like this, especially as a game journalist so I'm not only caught up on my favorite game series, but also personally "up-to-date" with what's popular.
I think you're on to something with people wanting to keep up with the most relevant games for the sake of conversation. I know I try to do that, but unlike you, I hardly care about getting trophies or 100% completion anymore. It's all about just getting through the main experience so I can move on to the next one, and while I dislike this structured mentality for doing something that should be unregulated fun, I have to do it because, well, I've got work to do! (ha ha)
I don't mind it though. As long as I can just set aside decent amounts of time for games I WANT to play (I toss games aside that don't compel me), I'm content with that. I just need to stop starting a game for 1-3 hours and not coming back to it for a long time!
Re: Review: Broforce (PS4)
@DrClayman Yeah! If this was their first effort (I think it is), it's nevertheless impressive! And I KNOW. I really want to know how they got away with some of those parodies! I definitely support fair use and creative liberties involved with satire, but come on...the Alien levels? The plays on names and character resemblances? I can't imagine they could get away with most of it without permission (ha ha). Either way, I love the cast, too. I practically jumped for joy when I saw Ellen Ripley, Neo, The Bride, and Mad Max! So cool.
Re: Review: Broforce (PS4)
@get2sammyb Ah, yes. I was confused by this as well at first! However, I think the lack of explanation is part of the game's charm. You just "GO!" and try to figure out the controls and how new characters work as the game goes along. And since it's not particularly challenging (on normal mode), I thought it was fun to stumble upon new tricks and nuances to some bros' abilities I didn't notice before (like Cherry Broling being able to shoot straight by pressing down on the analog stick).
@Johnnycide Thanks!
@Mahe In retrospect, this ALMOST sounds like a 9 (I see what you're saying!), but I was going for a review that sounds like a solid (or even a high) 8/10. I really wanted to give the game that score, but I couldn't in good conscience since the low frame rate during loads of action and boss battles is downright annoying. That little glitch at the start of missions really bugged me, too.
In a nutshell, the game's definitely an 8/10, but falls shy of that for the time being. I hope Free Lives Games fixes the problems soon!
@DrClayman As a game, I think Broforce is good, but it's really the irresistibly stupid charm of it that sells it for me. I think they could've added way more of the covert missions for unique bros to handle (there were only around four), made boss battles longer and more unique, eliminated some of the frustration that caused stupid deaths like blocks falling on me above the screen (ugh), and a couple other things. But overall, I couldn't stop smiling playing Broforce with the most motivational announcer of all time, the excessive explosions and violence, the hyper-masculinity of the characters, etc. Like I said above, definitely a solid 8/10 from me once the glitches are ironed out!
@Simon_Fitzgerald OH GOSH. Even his name is perfect for the game. lol
He better appear in the game like this though. At the very least, donning this glorious armor should be his special ability.
Re: Review: Broforce (PS4)
@Johnnycide Agreed!
Really? Huh. Even still, I didn't like that audio effect if it was intentional. It would only happen when the frame rate would drop (1-3 explosions didn't do anything), so I assumed it was a performance issue rather than something purposeful. Hope they fix it anyway or add some kind of ringing sound to make it more obvious!
Re: Push Share: What PS4 Screenshots Have You Been Sharing? - Issue 9
@themcnoisy Might take you up on that! lol
Re: Push Share: What PS4 Screenshots Have You Been Sharing? - Issue 9
@themcnoisy Out of all the times I've come to Mother Base after 80 hours of playing, I've rarely done so when the sun was positioned like that, so I thought it looked really nice. Guess not.
Anyway, I don't take many screenshots as it is, so I scrounge up what I can whenever this column comes around. I'll try harder next time.
Re: Don't Like DOOM's Crap Box Art? You Can Vote for a Better Design
I thought the original box art fit the new DOOM (it being the classic FPS and all), but if I didn't vote for option B as an alternate cover, there would be something wrong with me. What an incredible-looking throwback!
Re: Review: The Walking Dead: Michonne - Episode 1: In Too Deep (PS4)
@-FENRIS- Ah, but the fun in making those choices is that while they may not change the ultimate endings or course of the story, they honestly can reveal a lot about your morality and personality. One of the reasons why I can't wait to see how my big choices compared with everyone else's at the end of episodes to find out if I was in the minority or majority. And since some of these choices can drastically change which characters you see for an entire season and how they interact with you, I wouldn't say your choices don't make much of a difference. They do!
@BertoFlyingFox I would've liked that, too. More options to execute in combat would've been nice. And like I touched on in the review, I hope they do more with the hallucinations. Like, perhaps if you don't complete certain QTE events during an episode, perhaps something bad will happen to a character or it will decrease a partner's reliability in Michonne to handle herself. It definitely was something Pete was concerned about in this episode that you get to talk about it briefly with him, but it was dropped quickly. Guess we'll find out in Episode 2 if things get better!
@LieutenantFatman It was awesome to experience a Telltale game for myself in 60fps for the first time (last one I played was TWD Season 2 on PS3), but yes, they should be embarrassed they haven't updated their engine yet. It's been a problem since the beginning...come on! But yeah, at least the dev's stories keep these titles afloat.
Re: Talking Point: Do You Fast Travel in Open World Games?
Ain't nobody got time to walk everywhere.
But seriously, it depends on the game. For Shadow of Mordor and Dark Souls, I'd always fast-travel because it's not like you'll stumble across that many random or unexpected things. However, if we're talking about Skyrim or Dying Light (just started playing through this one), I really enjoy not having to fast-travel between locations because I know I'll stumble across surprises along the way that can't be missed. However, if we're talking about traveling back and forth down a similar path or going all the way across a world's map, there's NO way I'm going to travel all of that distance. So I guess I take a middle ground here. I enjoy taking in the scenery and maintaining the open world immersion when I have to travel short and medium distances to my objectives. But since I'm short for time, I will break that once in a while if I know a long journey will prove more lethargic than adventurous. For example, in MGSV, I'll travel halfway around the maps if there are other objectives nearby, because I might encounter a base that has soldiers with high-rankings along the way. But if it's all across the map? Like, over 2000 meters away? You know I'm calling in that helicopter and just redeploying in a closer spot.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 106
After about 50 hours of gameplay, I've completed...oh...35 percent of MGSV so far. Should have another 15-20 hours to go before I finish the story, then I got to move on to other games. In the meantime, I'll definitely be playing The Division beta while it's going on.
Re: Push Share: What PS4 Screenshots Have You Been Sharing? - Issue 8
"A settler needs my help!" ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Re: The Internet Reckons DOOM's PS4 Box Art Is Bad
Honestly, I like it. DOOM is the epitome of the first-person shooter, so it's only right it should have this type of cover. Could it have been better? Possibly a variation of the classic cover art as an awesome throwback? Sure, but it works for me.
Re: Poll: Which PS4 PlayStation Plus Freebie Will You Be Voting to Play?
Is there really a choice here?
Broforce. The game that perfectly encapsulates what my homeland is all about.
Re: Uncharted 4's Limited Edition PS4 Bundle Is a True Treasure
Ugh...this is my favorite color. Dang it Sony, you tempt me so much! I really love the design of the console. Even the headset and controller are tempting just for the color! lol
Re: Anticipated PS4 Exclusive RIME May Finally Get Some New Details Soon
YESYESYES. I'm SO looking forward to this game! Wind Waker art style and ICO-esque gameplay have had me anxiously waiting to here anything about it. Hopefully they'll announce a release date!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 102
@carlos82 The aesthetics in Isolation are INSANE. Feels like you're in the first movie detail for detail. So glad I finished it a couple of months ago. Hope you enjoy it!
@get2sammyb North Carolina's governor declared a state of emergency earlier this week for snowstorm Jonas. Down in the south, we really aren't prepared for any snow. It's a rare occurrence unlike for people up north who deal with it all the time!
Re: The Witness Will Cost You a Pretty Penny on PS4
WHOA. Didn't expect that, but with the 600+ puzzles in the game, I'd say that's worth the price of entry. And considering this has been in development for about eight years, it makes even more sense.
Re: Far Cry Primal Looks Anything But Prehistoric in PS4 Gameplay
I don't know why, but this game looks so bland to me. The combat looks lackluster, the open world is too bare, the whole animal-controlling gimmick looks like a simple means to an end (instead of having players emotionally invest in personal and long-term yet risky partnerships with animals you come to view as companions), and so on. There's not even a major focus on survival gameplay elements, which makes the game look too easy and straightforward (get animal companions, find new camps, destroy tribes, repeat). I mean, the whole premise is cool and it looks great, but I got a bad feeling this is going to get resounding "mehs" across the board when it releases.
Re: Review: Trine 3: The Artifacts of Power (PS4)
@sub12 Huh, "sterile." Interesting word choice. Perhaps in the sense that the world looks highly detailed and natural, but you can't interact much with it besides running past it all? Or that there's barely any wildlife compared to past games? (you only fight skeletons, for the most part)
Yes, these things hurt this game so much. There's NO RPG elements at all compared to the other games, and the more open levels just hurt the whole experience. There were only 4-5 small areas in the entire game that were good challenges, but the rest were a breeze.
@Shillll YES, YES, AND YES. If anyone from Frozenbyte reads these comments, I too want to say that I deeply admire and respect their honesty about what happened with Trine 3. I truly want them to succeed since the other Trine games have been fantastic. It's just that sometimes ambition leads to failure rather than innovation, and I desperately hope they can move past this and deliver on Trine 4!
@Simon_Fitzgerald I can totally understand why they wanted to move into 3D platforming, but you're right. It just didn't work out. I remember reading that through development, they had to either abandon their pursuit of this or substantially redesign (i.e. leave out) aspects of the core gameplay, and the team went for the latter. I hope they move back to 2D platforming with the next one and stick to building on top of what Trine 2 accomplished. Based on how transparent Frozenbyte is and how receptive it seems to be from feedback, hopefully Trine 4 will be what the fans - like me! - are looking for.
Re: Game of the Year: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Was Your Fave 2015 Title
@get2sammyb Oh, totally agree with that. Like I insinuated, 2014 was kind of weak for PlayStation. If it had come out this year, it would've definitely been around 4-7 on this year's list I'd reckon, but I get why SoM was praised so much in 2014. Looking back at it, I probably would've given it an 8. But I'd personally give it an 8.5. Not quite a 9. I was willing to forgive some of its shortcomings, but I get why some weren't so willing to do that!
Re: Game of the Year: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Was Your Fave 2015 Title
Looking back at 2014, I really don't see how it's surprising that Shadow of Mordor won, @get2sammyb (I noticed you've been mentioning it after several articles). It certainly had its problems, but it was arguably among the top five best games that year without question, especially considering we were hardly alone in that opinion.
Like, you got Inquisition, Dark Souls II, Transistor, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Alien: Isolation...not much else I can think of. :/ Now, it IS a TRAVESTY that The New Order didn't even make our list.
Anyway, I say I like this lineup a bit better than our own Top 10 list. Nice choices, readers!
Re: Video: The 10 Best PlayStation Games of 2015
@get2sammyb @chiptoon I did! Honestly my favorite RE since RE4.
Re: Game of the Year: Joey's Personal PlayStation Picks
@BAMozzy Ha, it does have a better "story" than what Battlefront had. But no, I understand what you're saying. TTK walks an interstitial line between DLC and a "full" game. It brings forward a new 6-hour campaign, plenty of new missions and quests, weapons, armor, and improvements over the original game. I'm critiquing TTK as a stand-alone game though; I don't need to take the original in consideration...but I am, so yes, perhaps I'm being hypocritical. :/ But for the sake of being close, I just went with it being a game. As for RE5, @stevie85 and @get2sammyb know what's best! (ha ha) I actually liked RE5 and believe it gets a lot of unfair hate, too. However, you're right when you say it fails to convey a sense of horror and atmosphere like the previous games. Those are things RE5 is lacking. And while I don't think Sheva is as bad as people make her out to be...yeah, she has her problems!
But like the other guys said, I think it's a dang solid game in itself as a more action-packed title, especially since the gameplay manages to accomplish this even with similar controls to RE4. It plays nicely, looks great, has a dumb, fun story, and has great co-op. RE6 is where things went wrong where they essentially made RE a complete third-person shooter. That didn't work. -_-
@Boerewors I'm doing fantastic! How are you?
@kyleforrester87 Thanks! And yeah, TOB may not be as good as TNO, but I still thought it was fantastic. I just think people had their standards set too high after playing TNO, but what it doesn't do as well can't be ignored for sure.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Really? Those are things I loved more about R2 compared to RE6. RE5 was good, but...I don't know, I think I liked R2 better! The toned-down action, gloomier, disturbing atmosphere, and so on really helped R2 to be something the franchise hasn't had for a while.
@SonyInfinity Oh yeah, gotta do that every now and then! (ha ha)
@AnubisLK8T2 That's a debate for another time. But yes, I get what you're saying. It is DLC, but it technically is quite a large thing in and of itself with a new 6-hour campaign. But believe me, I debated with myself about whether or not to include it as well!
@DerMeister Thanks! And I agree: TOB didn't get as much love as it deserves, and R2 was SO good. Best RE I've played since RE4 in my opinion.
Re: Game of the Year: #2 - Rocket League (PS4)
@Splat @ShogunRok I'm also baffled this made it above Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3, but whatever. I get that RL is an extremely well-refined and addictive game, but it's just a reiteration of Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars and several cars hitting a ball back and forth.
I know that's poorly reductionist, but I just don't get RL personally. I tried it out and wasn't grabbed by it, but hey, I acknowledge it deserves to be on the GOTY list without question.
Just not in 2nd place. Maybe more like somewhere between 4th and 6th.
Re: Soapbox: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood Should Be Among 2015's Greatest Games
@sub12 Yep! Those are definitely reasons to like it. Like I said, TOB takes traditional FPS tropes and makes them strengths rather than weaknesses because there's intent behind the older vibes to it. Compared to TNO, it's an awesome chance of pace!
@kyleforrester87 I don't think all of what made TNO great was pulled out of TOB. There are surely remnants of those meaningful character interactions with Kessler, Annete, and Agents 1 and 2. Some of the open-level aspects are maintained in some areas on a smaller scale despite the more linear focus in TOB. But yeah, I totally agree TNO is a superior game. It's twice as big and twice as long, and it's one of my favorites on the PS4, too! Didn't think B.J. and Arya's relationship was the most compelling thing in the game, but I get what you're saying. Their love was authentic and felt natural in a lot of ways given their circumstances.
@sub12 Bingo!
@kyleforrester87 "It was poetic, emotional, cheesy and stupid all in perfect measure." THAT'S what makes these games so special. They juggle an impossible dichotomy of themes yet pull them all off at once, particularly TNO.
@Johnnycide Same! I wish it had made our GOTY list last year, but alas. I hope to see a sequel as well in the next 2-3 years as well!
@dryrain This would likely be 4 or 5 on my list had I played the likes of Arkham Knight, Witcher 3, and so forth, but out of what I played, this is where it happened to end up. Glad you liked it!
@sinalefa Do it! Do it! You can get it on Amazon easily for less than $20. You'll likely find it for less than $15 or even $10 on some occasions! Definitely give this a go if you can on the PS4.
@crazykcarter I agree. It took a little bit for me to adjust to the feel of gameplay, but once I settled into it, it grew on me really quickly. Awesome to hear you'll be picking it up!
@BAMozzy Oh, well I wouldn't put it above those AAA games you mentioned. I just said it should be among the best games of 2015. Not above or necessarily equal to them. BO3 is...well, I think its campaign is way more fun and well-crafted than BO3's, so I'd recommend it excluding multiplayer and zombies. But yeah, content wise, perhaps BO3 is the better deal. But still, you can get TOB for $15 easily...that's a steal.
Yeah, I'm glad they added both chapters together. The experience felt fuller and more consistent that way. And I agree that the second half is weaker. Not by too much in my opinion, but the first half does seem longer and more robust.
@special_donkey Since TOB is a prequel to TNO, it'd be best for you to probably play it first since it's shorter than TNO and perfectly ties into the beginning of its story. That way you get to experience part of those amazing games, but if you have more time to spare, then you could delve into the amazing TNO. Your call!
@Gamer83 True story. I really want to play those games! But yeah, it's the same for Wolfenstein. The franchise has been ignored a lot since last year. That's why I loved TotalBiscuit's (have you heard of that YouTuber?) GOTY choice last year, which was TNO. He explains perfectly why it's one of the best FPS games in years, something many of my fellow game journalists didn't pick up on much for some reason. :/