I've got four kids and have important dialog segments in games interrupted quite often - these type of dialog options are welcomed addition by me, for sure. Haha
I knew about the server issues in the opening weeks for the game, which my understanding was primarily down to the massive loads on the servers. I didn't realize the account linking requirement was there from day one.
That certainly does indeed point to an oversight for the game to be placed on sale on PC in areas where PSN is inaccessible. Like Microsoft before it, Sony has some learning to do in the PC market. PlayStation was my primary gaming console from the PSOne to PS3 generations, before I built my first gaming rig - it's been primarily PC for me ever since.
I'm glad to see Sony releasing it's games on PC - especially on GOG.com, where I can future proof my gaming purchases!
@get2sammyb I agree that this was likely overblown by a majority of users in unaffected regions. Sony releasing the game without the account linking requirement, then implementing this later in regions the game shouldn't have been sold in on PC was also a likely oversights.
Third party account linking/launchers have been a contentious topic for PC gamers for a long time. With this games online gameplay style, the PSN account linking makes complete sense to me too (a primarily PC gamer).
I think the late implementation of this requirement on PC is the root cause of the frustration in this situation. I think that should have been there on day one.
I can't honestly rate it, seeing how I've still not purchased a PS4 as of yet.
I've got so many great games that I already own on the previous consoles and PC that I still enjoying playing, that I have very little desire to upgrade even today. There is nothing on the PS4 - nor the Xbox One or Wii U for that matter - that I 'just have got to have.' Sure, there are games I'd enjoy playing, for sure. But why spend the money to play more (newer) games when I'm still enjoying playing the games I've already purchased?
Sadly, this reminds me that I still need to play Borderlands 2 at some point. I burned myself out so badly on the original, that I still haven't played the sequel.. though, this is the "pre"sequel. Haha
I seriously thought that the Darpa Chief dying from a heart-attack - feeling his heart dwindle down to non-existence via the just released DualShock controller - was cool, but it didn't trip me out near as much as when I got to Psycho Mantis.
@charlesnarles The biggest issue that I have with The Last of Us was primarily the rinse and repeat of the action segments, which were more against humans than infected. So many times I just wanted these action segments to end so that story could progress - I actually had to take breaks from the game over this. Also, for a narrative that goes so far to be realistic in nature, the "gaming" parts of the game, such as the collection of vitamins to upgrade abilities, broke this realistic immersion that is set by the narrative for me. Also, the game's narrative shows us how emotionally affected the characters are by having to take human lives, but the gameplay is never reflective of this - it just does what nearly all shooters do: force you to keep on staking up the body counts. For the lack of spoilers, the "ultra-infected" are just ridiculous, in my opinion.
Creating video games that lack ludonarrative dissonance is indeed a challenge and will only be possible in a certain instances. For the most part, I take little issue with the gameplay and narrative dissonance in TLoU - I take issue with the game getting awards in innovation and heralded to such acclaim over other games that are innovative, as well as push the gaming industry forward as an art form.
This is a personal stance that I have. I want to see this industry continue moving forward with what small indie freeware games (check out Bento Smile's titles) and larger ones like Papo and Yo and Journey have started on home consoles - games that can positively affect those whom experience them.
To find games without (or better yet, limited) ludonarrative dissonance, you only need to look at titles like Telltale Games' The Walking Dead (and other adventure titles) series, Gone Home and Papers, Please. But, titles like Saints Row, which embellish the absurdity that comes with open world sandbox crime titles in its narrative do a good job of finding a balance too.
The films industry has its blockbusters, as well its innovative and films that strive to be works of art, just as the games industry does. This is perfectly okay on both accounts. Yet, the latest Transformers doesn't bag all of the awards of the year, even though it's one of the most exciting, fun and top grossing films of the year. No, the films that push the industry forward for its artistic merits, whether that be German Expressionism or even Transgressive Art. Yet, for the games industry, we usually show the world that the best we've got is the latest Hollywood Blockbuster. For me, that's a problem; not the design of The Last of Us.
@get2sammyb You're exactly right Sammy! The Last of Us is a brilliant gaming experience - there's no denying this. But it also suffers from ludo-narrative dissonance quite extensively. The exceptional narrative actually masks the shortcoming of the gameplay and they don't exactly complement each other all the time either.
Does it still deserve the scores it has gotten? Yes. Does it deserve all of the awards it is getting? Not in my opinion it doesn't. It's an awesome gaming experience with a fantastic narrative. That isn't innovation.
The Last of Us is a game that will be studied on the academic level not for its merits, but for its flaws. The fact that the gaming media has given it all of these awards now almost makes this certain. Those whom study video games as an art form - and want to see this industry taken seriously as a viable interactive art form - want to see a complete piece of art. This means the graphics, gameplay, control, narrative, etc., all should complement each other as a whole. For instance, in the recent Tomb Raider, Lara is near invincible in the cinematic, yet she is nowhere near it in actual gameplay - this is ludo-narrative dissonance. These things create breaks in immersion between the realistic story that's told in the cinematic and what's played by the player in actual gameplay.
This is a big challenge for video games to overcome. Of course, Tomb Raider (like The Last of Us) are big cinematic blockbuster video games. But, so many in the media has lifted them up to be "art." Is there anything wrong with the games here? No, not at all. The problem is the media and the awards ceremonies in the gaming industry that continue to put Hollywood blockbuster video games - the Transformers, Batman and Avengers of films - are being decelerated over the games that have true artistic merits, like Papers, Please and Gone Home.
Of course it will. The PS4's cloud-based technology is perfectly fitting for GTA Online. Also, the PS4's attachment rate is exceptionally high, so the chance that a next-gen GTA V port being profitable is, in my opinion, quite high. GTA is one of those series that continues to shift copies long after its initial release date - one only needs to look at the iOS ports of the PS2 GTA's topping the charts, when they are being sold for $5 USD a piece.
Well, I'll be buying this and happily playing on my PS3, without a shadow of a doubt.
@Carl-G Jeez. I thought my 60+ hours I've dropped into FIFA 14 was impressive - I did run a full Season with a created character - but I've yet to make it to the World Cup in my Manager's Season yet.
@get2sammyb Dude, I said it way back in the Vitagamr days of old - JRPGs are exactly what the Vita needs to succeed. Very glad to see them dropping in mass these days on it too.
@Gemuarto Err... no. I'm referring to the Vita's library as a whole. The handheld is designed to be the ultimate gaming platform, yet very few of the games that we've gotten since launch are reflective of this. We've seen that this console can produce incredible portable gameplay offerings with the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Killzone: Mercenary, but what next really pushes the bar forward?
Vita needs exclusive Gran Turismo, MotorStorm, God of War and other hit titles to make it a worthy offering in the mainstream gamers' eyes.
For me, I'm a huge Indie fan. The fact that the Indie love keeps on comin' for the Vita keeps me one very happy Vita owner. But my gaming taste aren't reflective of the industry as a whole and I know this - I spent the majority of my day playing freeware Indie PC games.
I was really pumped up for this game, until I saw the sub par in-game car handling and physics months back. Was really hoping to see something new here, but oh well, no harm no foul.
Let's hope the next showing will truly be something spectacular! If so, it'll be time for me to finally break down and purchase a PS4.
I don't think it really matters too much, really. How many people sit around looking at worldwide data sales to make a purchase? Also, as we've seen time and again in the US, when a console is sold out here, the demand shoots sky high, which sales up substantially thereafter.
I think the real telling point will be a year from now, when the demand drops and the consoles are freely available for purchase - what is the dropping point of demand for these consoles? It's at this point when we will see just how viable this new market is in its early stages and how much developer support will be sticking with them, or shifting back to the high install base of the last generation consoles.
The iPod is pratically oboselete to the iPhone these days and the Vita and the iOS Marketplace are all but entirely different markets. If this is what Sony thinks of the Vita, the longterm sustainablility of this fantastic piece of hardware is looking grim.
Papo and Yo was the game that completely changed my perspective on what could be possible in a video game. So much so, that it pushed me to get out and work with the indie devs for myself.
Much respect for Minority Media. I've had a few chats with them myself and they're an inspiration, for sure.
I have Tearaway and it's still stitting on my gaming desk in the wrapper, sitting right on top of Sly Cooper (Vita), which is still in its wrapper as well.
Not only has Sony so overloaded us with games, but for us that prefer held gaming consoles, Nintendo's 3DS just keeps growing its library with amazing first party titles.
@Visiblemode Exaclty! That was the first thing that I thought of when I initially saw the trailer and after watching it again a few times over, I actually think that it just might be a minimilist styled game in the same vein as Proteus. If it is, I'm beyond excited for this one.
"You can say "but they already own their mobile device, so it's not an extra cost" - but it is. Neither a smartphone or a tablet are necessary items."
Mobile devices are mainstream devices that have become a staple part of most people's daily lives. There is no disputing this, the sales data doesn't lie mate.
Apple's controller support does make a difference, because it's native, unlike you using your other controllers with an Android tablet. Apple's marketplaces are where mobile developers make money, so having developers start developing on the largest mobile marketplace with native controller support is a big deal for the gaming industry. This might not suite your preferences, but for the industry as a whole, it matters.
Every bit of the negativity that you're reflecting on the mobile markets about cloud gaming - compression, controller lag, etc. - all pertains to the dedicated gaming consoles in the exact same way, as both of the new consoles "big trick" is cloud-based gaming support, which we've yet to see in action, of course.
"Sure, it makes the games easier to control, but it doesn't make them any better."
I tried to make it clear that I was not speaking to games that are being played off of the mobile device's hardware, so I'm not sure what you're getting at with this bit. Sorry.
Battery life isn't an issue, as I already stated that bit about docking your device into a station and what I'm speaking to is absolutley not going to be able to be used outside of a WiFi network.
"Why would I spend potentially more £ on a new phone or tablet, when I can spend £350 on a PS4 and play better games in better quality, and all without requiring a fast and stable internet connection to play them?"
Again, you keep going back to the mobile games bit. A docking station would likely cost less that $99 USD, which is much cheaper than a dedicated gaming machine, especially if it plays the exact same games.
Lastly, I think what you're missing is that what I'm talking about is probably 10-15 years down the road mate. I think your thinking that I'm speaking to the next five years of this being mainstream - that will absolutely not happen. Will will likely see the beginings of these services creeping up within this short timeframe, but it's just as you stated, once the worldwide Internet beomes ever stronger - think of how fast it has strenghtned over the past decade! - this type of service becomes ever more of a reality. There are some in the industry that fully believe that this is the future of the gaming industry, yet only time will tell.
@Paranoimia And the real irony mate is that is exactly the point, with a major fundamental difference. If mobile devices can become home consoles via the cloud, the install base for these devices is already into the hundreds of millions and the need for people to pay $400+ for dedicated home consoles goes away near instantly.
Let me explain this a bit further. Third parties have always needed the first party's platforms to develop its games on, while the platform holder's first party games are typically the titles that offer consumers the unique choices to set its platforms apart from the other. Let's say that both the Xbox One and PS4 shift 35 million units in the next five years - if this type of cloub-based service was to go online in five years, the projected path of worldwide mobile sales for 2013 is 2.4 billion. Sony and Microsoft's target audience will be 70 million, while the third party titles will be available to billions of consumers.
Looking at the mobile markets as just "app" video games is completely missing what the real underlying excitement is all about with mobile gaming's future - this is why Apple's controller support reveal was such a very big deal. If this type of gaming environment was to come to fruition, the gaming industry could see an influx of revenue that could propel it to new highs, instead of this yearly downward decrease that's been going on for a bit too long now - the cost to develop is already too high and these next gen cosoles only make matters worse; too much risk financially to a publisher means limited risk in its games - we're in for a lot more of the same with these new consoles.
Here's another bit of food for thoguht: if all the gamers that are spending $400 for the PS4 and Xbox One could instead spend that $400 on the very same video games via a cloud-based service on their mobile devices (that they already own) - imagine what that influx of revenue would inspire game developers to do thereafter.
@Sanquine And you missed the point of what I wrote - you would absolutley not be running these games on any mobile network. Your mobile device would (most likely) be cradled into a docking station/HD to stream these games from the cloud through your device and to your TV, on your home WiFi signal.
Hate to say it Sammy, but this piece is a bit short-sighted in my honest opinion. First, neither the PS4 or the Xbox One have shown that they can perform their cloud-based features that they've sold upon us yet and both consoles have yet to prove themselves to be anything more than high res versions of the consoles that we already have/had.
The way that mobile gaming has the potential to overtake the the console sector is by the very same thing that these new consoles have yet to produce: cloud-based gaming. If mobile hardware continues to evolve at the extreme speed that it has, within the next 5-10 years, it's highly likely that we could be playing the very same games through a mobile device via the cloud - with a controller in hand - just as you would with a dedicated console. The mobile device would be cradled into a storage box with an HDMI out port, it would only need to stream the next generation games from the cloud to your television.
If the cloud can prove to be a success for the dedicated home consoles, it very well can do the exact same thing for the mobile devices. If people can play each year's Madden, FIFA, Call of Duty, etc. just like they can on an expensive peice of gaming hardware, the dedicated gaming consoles will face a real stuggle to stay relevant in the market, as third parties will gain a massive opportunity to overtake the two market leaders.
Looking at the mobile market as just Cut the Rope and Angy Birds - you should look a bit further than that mate.
Got this one headed my way, courtesy of my PlayStation Credit Card. Yeah, buy the things that I would already purchase with cash, pay it off at the end of the month to wave interest fees, then net free PS games. Yeah, I'm not complaining. Haha
@get2sammyb @odd69 @Giddens Proteus is, quite simply, a collision between art and video games. Journey is a beautiful video game and a fantastic journey, even if it's quite linear and scripted; it's an outstanding artistic experience nonetheless. Journey lands more on the 'interactive art' side of the spectrum.
Proteus, on the other hand, is more akin to being inside a work of art. If you ever visit an authentic art museum, you'll find that many people choose to sit and relinquish themselves into the pieces of art. Why? Doing so can find that there's hidden depths behind the brush strokes; depths, that if explored, shine insight into the mind of the artist.
What is the message that's trying to be relayed in this work of art? Is this piece a mere reflection of self when it was painted? Etcetera. I recently got to see a wonderful arrangement of Max Beckmann's work, that spanned the entire timeline of this famed German painter's life. Letting go and getting involved emotionally in his work in this space allowed me to see his high and lows in life, his interest, the things that he loved and the things that he despised. It's truly a wondrous experience to be captivated by art in this manner, but it's up to the viewer in how it's perceived.
Proteus task you with sitting down and relinquishing yourself in its artistic world. It breaks the traditional video game formatting guidelines and just like sitting in a museum, it's up to you how you perceive it. Proteus is worth more than any review score that could be placed on it. It is a game that will be studied decades from now for being one of the first truly interactive works of art. For those willing to sit down and let go - Proteus is a game that will move and inspire you deeply.
The amount of capital it's spending to manufacture, ship, market and advertise its PlayStation 4 console could easily run into the tens of millions (USD) and if you factor in the R&D cost associated with the console, I'd image that could put it well over a $100 million. I couldn't image that investors were expecting a great report this go around. I actually expected it to be back in the red pre-launch.
I just told a friend of mine that I really needed to sit down and finish up Rainbow Moon the other day. I'll be purchasing and cross-saving over to the Vita in December to do just this!
The passing game in PES is so good this year; so very good. It's hard to believe just how great this title feels this year, but it just can't hold a candle to FIFA 14's outstanding presentation. Speaking of which, I've got a season to get back to right now!
The PSOne was such a fantastic console in its time. Titles like Wild 9, One and the Parasite Eve series are games that I have extremely fond memories of, not to mention it was the console that introduced me to crazy world of Japanese video games, thanks to them being hidden in the PS Underground Disc.
@get2sammyb Yep, I think so too Sammy. I enjoyed it on the PSP and iOS, but I'd much rather just jump into another critter's life in Tokyo Jungle on my PS3 instead of playing this.
Comments 1,032
Re: God of War Ragnarok PC Lets You Reduce Puzzle Hints, Option Also Coming to PS5, PS4 Soon
I've got four kids and have important dialog segments in games interrupted quite often - these type of dialog options are welcomed addition by me, for sure. Haha
Re: PS Plus Premium's TimeSplitters Titles Now All Have Trophies on PS5, PS4
Oh good night! I have so little free time these days, and I would love to play these games again!
Re: Helldivers 2 PSN Requirement Backtracked on PC After Brutal Review Bombing Campaign
@InsaneWade Ah! Thanks for the info!
I knew about the server issues in the opening weeks for the game, which my understanding was primarily down to the massive loads on the servers. I didn't realize the account linking requirement was there from day one.
That certainly does indeed point to an oversight for the game to be placed on sale on PC in areas where PSN is inaccessible. Like Microsoft before it, Sony has some learning to do in the PC market. PlayStation was my primary gaming console from the PSOne to PS3 generations, before I built my first gaming rig - it's been primarily PC for me ever since.
I'm glad to see Sony releasing it's games on PC - especially on GOG.com, where I can future proof my gaming purchases!
Re: Helldivers 2 PSN Requirement Backtracked on PC After Brutal Review Bombing Campaign
@get2sammyb I agree that this was likely overblown by a majority of users in unaffected regions. Sony releasing the game without the account linking requirement, then implementing this later in regions the game shouldn't have been sold in on PC was also a likely oversights.
Third party account linking/launchers have been a contentious topic for PC gamers for a long time. With this games online gameplay style, the PSN account linking makes complete sense to me too (a primarily PC gamer).
I think the late implementation of this requirement on PC is the root cause of the frustration in this situation. I think that should have been there on day one.
Re: What Do You Actually Do in PS4 Indie No Man's Sky?
This is the game that will finally have be breaking down and buying a PS4.
Re: Feature: How Has the PS4 Fared in Its First Year?
I can't honestly rate it, seeing how I've still not purchased a PS4 as of yet.
I've got so many great games that I already own on the previous consoles and PC that I still enjoying playing, that I have very little desire to upgrade even today. There is nothing on the PS4 - nor the Xbox One or Wii U for that matter - that I 'just have got to have.' Sure, there are games I'd enjoy playing, for sure. But why spend the money to play more (newer) games when I'm still enjoying playing the games I've already purchased?
Re: Review: Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (PlayStation 3)
Sadly, this reminds me that I still need to play Borderlands 2 at some point. I burned myself out so badly on the original, that I still haven't played the sequel.. though, this is the "pre"sequel. Haha
Re: Weirdness: Final Fantasy XV Looks Fantastic on PS4, But It'd Be Better on PSone
Final Fantasy XV isn't even on my radar for the PS4, but if it did release today on the PSone, I'd totally haul off and buy it. Haha
Re: OlliOlli 2 Brings Skateboarding Shenanigans to PS4 and Vita in 2015
This is the best news I've read all year!
Re: Feature: Twelve of the Best PlayStation Easter Eggs
I seriously thought that the Darpa Chief dying from a heart-attack - feeling his heart dwindle down to non-existence via the just released DualShock controller - was cool, but it didn't trip me out near as much as when I got to Psycho Mantis.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Easter Edition 2
FTL: Faster Than Light, Trials Frontier and FIFA World Cup 2014 for me.
Re: Review: Trials Fusion (PlayStation 4)
This can't release soon enough on Steam!
Re: Sony's Shuhei Yoshida Has Been Banned from Nintendo MiiVerse Twice
Hahahaha. That's just absolutely hilarious!
Re: Yes, RedLynx's Trials Fusion Drops onto PS4 on 16th April
I guess it's time for me to buy a PS4.
Re: Naughty Dog's Bruce Straley Thinks Tearaway Deserved D.I.C.E Prize for Innovation
@charlesnarles The biggest issue that I have with The Last of Us was primarily the rinse and repeat of the action segments, which were more against humans than infected. So many times I just wanted these action segments to end so that story could progress - I actually had to take breaks from the game over this. Also, for a narrative that goes so far to be realistic in nature, the "gaming" parts of the game, such as the collection of vitamins to upgrade abilities, broke this realistic immersion that is set by the narrative for me. Also, the game's narrative shows us how emotionally affected the characters are by having to take human lives, but the gameplay is never reflective of this - it just does what nearly all shooters do: force you to keep on staking up the body counts. For the lack of spoilers, the "ultra-infected" are just ridiculous, in my opinion.
Creating video games that lack ludonarrative dissonance is indeed a challenge and will only be possible in a certain instances. For the most part, I take little issue with the gameplay and narrative dissonance in TLoU - I take issue with the game getting awards in innovation and heralded to such acclaim over other games that are innovative, as well as push the gaming industry forward as an art form.
This is a personal stance that I have. I want to see this industry continue moving forward with what small indie freeware games (check out Bento Smile's titles) and larger ones like Papo and Yo and Journey have started on home consoles - games that can positively affect those whom experience them.
To find games without (or better yet, limited) ludonarrative dissonance, you only need to look at titles like Telltale Games' The Walking Dead (and other adventure titles) series, Gone Home and Papers, Please. But, titles like Saints Row, which embellish the absurdity that comes with open world sandbox crime titles in its narrative do a good job of finding a balance too.
The films industry has its blockbusters, as well its innovative and films that strive to be works of art, just as the games industry does. This is perfectly okay on both accounts. Yet, the latest Transformers doesn't bag all of the awards of the year, even though it's one of the most exciting, fun and top grossing films of the year. No, the films that push the industry forward for its artistic merits, whether that be German Expressionism or even Transgressive Art. Yet, for the games industry, we usually show the world that the best we've got is the latest Hollywood Blockbuster. For me, that's a problem; not the design of The Last of Us.
Re: Naughty Dog's Bruce Straley Thinks Tearaway Deserved D.I.C.E Prize for Innovation
@get2sammyb You're exactly right Sammy! The Last of Us is a brilliant gaming experience - there's no denying this. But it also suffers from ludo-narrative dissonance quite extensively. The exceptional narrative actually masks the shortcoming of the gameplay and they don't exactly complement each other all the time either.
Does it still deserve the scores it has gotten? Yes. Does it deserve all of the awards it is getting? Not in my opinion it doesn't. It's an awesome gaming experience with a fantastic narrative. That isn't innovation.
The Last of Us is a game that will be studied on the academic level not for its merits, but for its flaws. The fact that the gaming media has given it all of these awards now almost makes this certain. Those whom study video games as an art form - and want to see this industry taken seriously as a viable interactive art form - want to see a complete piece of art. This means the graphics, gameplay, control, narrative, etc., all should complement each other as a whole. For instance, in the recent Tomb Raider, Lara is near invincible in the cinematic, yet she is nowhere near it in actual gameplay - this is ludo-narrative dissonance. These things create breaks in immersion between the realistic story that's told in the cinematic and what's played by the player in actual gameplay.
This is a big challenge for video games to overcome. Of course, Tomb Raider (like The Last of Us) are big cinematic blockbuster video games. But, so many in the media has lifted them up to be "art." Is there anything wrong with the games here? No, not at all. The problem is the media and the awards ceremonies in the gaming industry that continue to put Hollywood blockbuster video games - the Transformers, Batman and Avengers of films - are being decelerated over the games that have true artistic merits, like Papers, Please and Gone Home.
This is why Gamesindustry.biz has formulated it own awards based on innovation:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-02-03-announcing-the-gamesindustry-innovation-awards
Tearaway is next up on my list of games to play!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 21
Congrats Matt!
So far, I've been on Surge Deluxe, OlliOlli and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds really hard this weekend.
Re: Far Cry Classic Turns Back the Clocks Next Week on PS3
Far Cry: Instincts really should be involved in that bundle!
Re: Grand Theft Auto V Will Launch on PS4 if Consumers Want It
Of course it will. The PS4's cloud-based technology is perfectly fitting for GTA Online. Also, the PS4's attachment rate is exceptionally high, so the chance that a next-gen GTA V port being profitable is, in my opinion, quite high. GTA is one of those series that continues to shift copies long after its initial release date - one only needs to look at the iOS ports of the PS2 GTA's topping the charts, when they are being sold for $5 USD a piece.
Re: Sorry, You Won't Be Winning the World Cup on Your PS4
Well, I'll be buying this and happily playing on my PS3, without a shadow of a doubt.
@Carl-G Jeez. I thought my 60+ hours I've dropped into FIFA 14 was impressive - I did run a full Season with a created character - but I've yet to make it to the World Cup in my Manager's Season yet.
Re: Review: Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PlayStation Vita)
@get2sammyb Dude, I said it way back in the Vitagamr days of old - JRPGs are exactly what the Vita needs to succeed. Very glad to see them dropping in mass these days on it too.
Re: PS Vita Will Die a Slow and Painful Death, Says Michael Pachter
@Gemuarto Err... no. I'm referring to the Vita's library as a whole. The handheld is designed to be the ultimate gaming platform, yet very few of the games that we've gotten since launch are reflective of this. We've seen that this console can produce incredible portable gameplay offerings with the likes of Uncharted: Golden Abyss and Killzone: Mercenary, but what next really pushes the bar forward?
Vita needs exclusive Gran Turismo, MotorStorm, God of War and other hit titles to make it a worthy offering in the mainstream gamers' eyes.
For me, I'm a huge Indie fan. The fact that the Indie love keeps on comin' for the Vita keeps me one very happy Vita owner. But my gaming taste aren't reflective of the industry as a whole and I know this - I spent the majority of my day playing freeware Indie PC games.
Re: PS Vita Will Die a Slow and Painful Death, Says Michael Pachter
Vita's software is a sad state in comparison to its incredible hardware. I've seen nothing that shows it improving much either.
Re: Fasten Your Seat Belt for Fresh Footage of PS4 Racer DriveClub
I was really pumped up for this game, until I saw the sub par in-game car handling and physics months back. Was really hoping to see something new here, but oh well, no harm no foul.
Let's hope the next showing will truly be something spectacular! If so, it'll be time for me to finally break down and purchase a PS4.
Re: Talking Point: Do the December NPD Results Flag a Flaw in PS4's Strategy?
I don't think it really matters too much, really. How many people sit around looking at worldwide data sales to make a purchase? Also, as we've seen time and again in the US, when a console is sold out here, the demand shoots sky high, which sales up substantially thereafter.
I think the real telling point will be a year from now, when the demand drops and the consoles are freely available for purchase - what is the dropping point of demand for these consoles? It's at this point when we will see just how viable this new market is in its early stages and how much developer support will be sticking with them, or shifting back to the high install base of the last generation consoles.
Re: This Sony Boss Thinks People See the Vita as Gaming's Equivalent of the iPod
No. Just no.
The iPod is pratically oboselete to the iPhone these days and the Vita and the iOS Marketplace are all but entirely different markets. If this is what Sony thinks of the Vita, the longterm sustainablility of this fantastic piece of hardware is looking grim.
Re: Papo & Yo Developer Touched by Fan's 'Moving' Letter
Papo and Yo was the game that completely changed my perspective on what could be possible in a video game. So much so, that it pushed me to get out and work with the indie devs for myself.
Much respect for Minority Media. I've had a few chats with them myself and they're an inspiration, for sure.
Re: Activision Won't Make a Crash Bandicoot Game, So This Fan One Will Have to Do
Hey, that actually looks like a pretty solid build, if you ask me. Haha
Re: Feature: Five Vita Games That Will Keep You Occupied on the Go in 2014
Just keep those indie games coming Sony and I'll keep the backlight on.
Re: Soapbox: Why There's No Real Rush to Upgrade to the PS4
I'll get a PS4 before FIFA 15 drops.
Re: PlayStation Executive Shuhei Yoshida Is Doing His Part to Help Wii U
So much respect for him for doing this.
Re: Talking Point: Is PlayStation Plus Helping or Hindering the PS Vita?
Very good and well thought out piece @get2sammyb.
I have Tearaway and it's still stitting on my gaming desk in the wrapper, sitting right on top of Sly Cooper (Vita), which is still in its wrapper as well.
Not only has Sony so overloaded us with games, but for us that prefer held gaming consoles, Nintendo's 3DS just keeps growing its library with amazing first party titles.
Re: Telltale Sits Atop the Game of Thrones with New Episodic Series
Can.Not.Wait!
Re: Hello Games' Hugely Ambitious No Man's Sky Explores the Sea and Stars
@Visiblemode Exaclty! That was the first thing that I thought of when I initially saw the trailer and after watching it again a few times over, I actually think that it just might be a minimilist styled game in the same vein as Proteus. If it is, I'm beyond excited for this one.
Re: Talking Point: PS4 Proves That Consoles Are Alive and Kicking
"You can say "but they already own their mobile device, so it's not an extra cost" - but it is. Neither a smartphone or a tablet are necessary items."
Mobile devices are mainstream devices that have become a staple part of most people's daily lives. There is no disputing this, the sales data doesn't lie mate.
Apple's controller support does make a difference, because it's native, unlike you using your other controllers with an Android tablet. Apple's marketplaces are where mobile developers make money, so having developers start developing on the largest mobile marketplace with native controller support is a big deal for the gaming industry. This might not suite your preferences, but for the industry as a whole, it matters.
Every bit of the negativity that you're reflecting on the mobile markets about cloud gaming - compression, controller lag, etc. - all pertains to the dedicated gaming consoles in the exact same way, as both of the new consoles "big trick" is cloud-based gaming support, which we've yet to see in action, of course.
"Sure, it makes the games easier to control, but it doesn't make them any better."
I tried to make it clear that I was not speaking to games that are being played off of the mobile device's hardware, so I'm not sure what you're getting at with this bit. Sorry.
Battery life isn't an issue, as I already stated that bit about docking your device into a station and what I'm speaking to is absolutley not going to be able to be used outside of a WiFi network.
"Why would I spend potentially more £ on a new phone or tablet, when I can spend £350 on a PS4 and play better games in better quality, and all without requiring a fast and stable internet connection to play them?"
Again, you keep going back to the mobile games bit. A docking station would likely cost less that $99 USD, which is much cheaper than a dedicated gaming machine, especially if it plays the exact same games.
Lastly, I think what you're missing is that what I'm talking about is probably 10-15 years down the road mate. I think your thinking that I'm speaking to the next five years of this being mainstream - that will absolutely not happen. Will will likely see the beginings of these services creeping up within this short timeframe, but it's just as you stated, once the worldwide Internet beomes ever stronger - think of how fast it has strenghtned over the past decade! - this type of service becomes ever more of a reality. There are some in the industry that fully believe that this is the future of the gaming industry, yet only time will tell.
Re: Talking Point: PS4 Proves That Consoles Are Alive and Kicking
@Paranoimia And the real irony mate is that is exactly the point, with a major fundamental difference. If mobile devices can become home consoles via the cloud, the install base for these devices is already into the hundreds of millions and the need for people to pay $400+ for dedicated home consoles goes away near instantly.
Let me explain this a bit further. Third parties have always needed the first party's platforms to develop its games on, while the platform holder's first party games are typically the titles that offer consumers the unique choices to set its platforms apart from the other. Let's say that both the Xbox One and PS4 shift 35 million units in the next five years - if this type of cloub-based service was to go online in five years, the projected path of worldwide mobile sales for 2013 is 2.4 billion. Sony and Microsoft's target audience will be 70 million, while the third party titles will be available to billions of consumers.
Looking at the mobile markets as just "app" video games is completely missing what the real underlying excitement is all about with mobile gaming's future - this is why Apple's controller support reveal was such a very big deal. If this type of gaming environment was to come to fruition, the gaming industry could see an influx of revenue that could propel it to new highs, instead of this yearly downward decrease that's been going on for a bit too long now - the cost to develop is already too high and these next gen cosoles only make matters worse; too much risk financially to a publisher means limited risk in its games - we're in for a lot more of the same with these new consoles.
Here's another bit of food for thoguht: if all the gamers that are spending $400 for the PS4 and Xbox One could instead spend that $400 on the very same video games via a cloud-based service on their mobile devices (that they already own) - imagine what that influx of revenue would inspire game developers to do thereafter.
Re: Talking Point: PS4 Proves That Consoles Are Alive and Kicking
@Sanquine And you missed the point of what I wrote - you would absolutley not be running these games on any mobile network. Your mobile device would (most likely) be cradled into a docking station/HD to stream these games from the cloud through your device and to your TV, on your home WiFi signal.
Re: Talking Point: PS4 Proves That Consoles Are Alive and Kicking
Hate to say it Sammy, but this piece is a bit short-sighted in my honest opinion. First, neither the PS4 or the Xbox One have shown that they can perform their cloud-based features that they've sold upon us yet and both consoles have yet to prove themselves to be anything more than high res versions of the consoles that we already have/had.
The way that mobile gaming has the potential to overtake the the console sector is by the very same thing that these new consoles have yet to produce: cloud-based gaming. If mobile hardware continues to evolve at the extreme speed that it has, within the next 5-10 years, it's highly likely that we could be playing the very same games through a mobile device via the cloud - with a controller in hand - just as you would with a dedicated console. The mobile device would be cradled into a storage box with an HDMI out port, it would only need to stream the next generation games from the cloud to your television.
If the cloud can prove to be a success for the dedicated home consoles, it very well can do the exact same thing for the mobile devices. If people can play each year's Madden, FIFA, Call of Duty, etc. just like they can on an expensive peice of gaming hardware, the dedicated gaming consoles will face a real stuggle to stay relevant in the market, as third parties will gain a massive opportunity to overtake the two market leaders.
Looking at the mobile market as just Cut the Rope and Angy Birds - you should look a bit further than that mate.
Re: Video: Testing Out Tearaway's Crafty Paper-Based Campaign
Got this one headed my way, courtesy of my PlayStation Credit Card. Yeah, buy the things that I would already purchase with cash, pay it off at the end of the month to wave interest fees, then net free PS games. Yeah, I'm not complaining. Haha
Re: Review: flower (PlayStation 4)
Great review Nathan!
Re: Review: Proteus (PlayStation Network)
@get2sammyb @odd69 @Giddens Proteus is, quite simply, a collision between art and video games. Journey is a beautiful video game and a fantastic journey, even if it's quite linear and scripted; it's an outstanding artistic experience nonetheless. Journey lands more on the 'interactive art' side of the spectrum.
Proteus, on the other hand, is more akin to being inside a work of art. If you ever visit an authentic art museum, you'll find that many people choose to sit and relinquish themselves into the pieces of art. Why? Doing so can find that there's hidden depths behind the brush strokes; depths, that if explored, shine insight into the mind of the artist.
What is the message that's trying to be relayed in this work of art? Is this piece a mere reflection of self when it was painted? Etcetera. I recently got to see a wonderful arrangement of Max Beckmann's work, that spanned the entire timeline of this famed German painter's life. Letting go and getting involved emotionally in his work in this space allowed me to see his high and lows in life, his interest, the things that he loved and the things that he despised. It's truly a wondrous experience to be captivated by art in this manner, but it's up to the viewer in how it's perceived.
Proteus task you with sitting down and relinquishing yourself in its artistic world. It breaks the traditional video game formatting guidelines and just like sitting in a museum, it's up to you how you perceive it. Proteus is worth more than any review score that could be placed on it. It is a game that will be studied decades from now for being one of the first truly interactive works of art. For those willing to sit down and let go - Proteus is a game that will move and inspire you deeply.
Re: Sony Slips Out of Profitability, Adjusts Annual Profits Forecast
The amount of capital it's spending to manufacture, ship, market and advertise its PlayStation 4 console could easily run into the tens of millions (USD) and if you factor in the R&D cost associated with the console, I'd image that could put it well over a $100 million. I couldn't image that investors were expecting a great report this go around. I actually expected it to be back in the red pre-launch.
Re: Rainbow Moon Brightens Up PS Vita from 3rd December
I just told a friend of mine that I really needed to sit down and finish up Rainbow Moon the other day. I'll be purchasing and cross-saving over to the Vita in December to do just this!
Re: Review: PES 2014: Pro Evolution Soccer (PlayStation 3)
Great review Greg!
The passing game in PES is so good this year; so very good. It's hard to believe just how great this title feels this year, but it just can't hold a candle to FIFA 14's outstanding presentation. Speaking of which, I've got a season to get back to right now!
Re: BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea Sinks to New Depths This Holiday
Can. Not. Wait.
Re: Feature: Celebrating the 18th Anniversary of the PSone
Great read, as always JamieO!
The PSOne was such a fantastic console in its time. Titles like Wild 9, One and the Parasite Eve series are games that I have extremely fond memories of, not to mention it was the console that introduced me to crazy world of Japanese video games, thanks to them being hidden in the PS Underground Disc.
Re: Review: Carnivores: Dinosaur Hunter HD (PlayStation Network)
@get2sammyb Yep, I think so too Sammy. I enjoyed it on the PSP and iOS, but I'd much rather just jump into another critter's life in Tokyo Jungle on my PS3 instead of playing this.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 14
GTAV, Killzone Mercenaries and Puzzle and Dragons.
Re: Talking Point: Is Grand Theft Auto V Living Up to Your Expectations?
I'm still playing Killzone: Mercenaries and NHL 14, so.. yeah.
Re: Talking Point: Would You Buy a Virtual Reality Headset for Your PS4?
In all honesty, I would pay around $149-200 USD for this; I'm quite tired of jumping on new technology over the past few years.