I'm excited. I do wonder how horde like or waves of enemies it will have like the first one or more balanced (with the way the Orcs are almost Dynasty Warriors like but not that same structure of course as the linear but fair set pieces and odd groups of Orcs make the game fairly challenging).
I can understand balance being needed before release though to just tweak the enemy AI/difficulty but otherwise I assume it may be a fair game.
Using a chainsaw sword (obviously Gears has Chainsaw attached weapons and not surprised the Warhammer inspiration/similarities), fair weapons, fair tone, co-op yes please (assuming online not split screen but even still it's still nice to have regardless of online co-op).
Some like Metroid Federation Force or Tri Force Heroes or others were solo possible but designed around multiplayer. So some can have NPC assistance or be solo designed but have co-op difficulty even in the singleplayer or just being well others that help in the fights. Or just whatever co-op missions maybe. Games can vary a lot but knowing it's singleplayer with co-op is nice. Ah just like the old days getting features that were great to have again even if modern/10+ year sequel.
The Warhammer universe I know nothing about but is deep and engaging I assume. I'm interested for sure.
Wanted a good modern shooter that isn't MP and isn't live service. Aveum was fair, Atomic Heart is probably fine but Space Marine was more what I was hoping, as if we get nothing else I'm fine on old gen but do want something of campaign good only or campaign/multiplayer offering if they need it to like older eras. Or whatever other modes that can be cool to have.
I haven't looked at footage really. Plan to play the first one as didn't get far but want to try again, and been playing many older gen shooters instead/other genres.
@Deljo I assume The Order 1876 like Heavenly Sword or others that go independent but don't have the IP as a factor for them to own themselves, are all owned by Sony they just don't care to do anything with them.
@Perturbator Would be nice for them to offer them like other PSP titles have to PS+, a remake/remaster hmm would be cool but I doubt it.
There is a reason I bought the whole series on PS3 via collections (besides 3 Remastered on PS4). It might be a while or they might never offer them really. Hard to say.
Unfortunate, Daxter (even for being in Haven city other regions uses them well the new/cut off ones to be kind of it's own thing or like Jak 1 I guess and less of the open world mission style 2 & 3 were even if the vehicles in 3 were fun),
2 God of War PSP games (assist with those ones for the PS3 collection I assume but still good games in their own right and expanded the universe well),
The Order, Deformers, then VR games. What a life.
Oh and the Okami Wii port.
Lone Echo series/universe had good games for VR though. I assume audience just wasn't there sales wise or expectations?
I thought Facebook/Meta bought them, did they get let go? Did the studio staff just give up? Yet Meta wastes money on their other projects and kill Ready At Dawn off. What a bunch of idiots.
Unfortunate. I liked Daxter and the PSP God of War games, The Order I rebought for cheap/replayed it and I got to say, It felt it boring at times (have with some shooters pacing or compelling moments) but the world is really cool, the Tesla/sci-fi olden era but quirky guns are great, just like Resistance or Bioshock kind of way, enemy encounters are fair. It's not a bad game it's just trying but still solid/sticks the landing I think. It was different from what they were used to and I think it was fair.
The story was fair, the themes were fair. I didn't mind it. It being a cinematic game did make me go eh not sure about this. As to me Uncharted I don't mind because of how it balances platforming, puzzles and third person shooting regardless of the types of movies it's inspired by. While other games Sony has pushed, the gameplay hasn't been my thing really.
The Order felt sometimes fine, sometimes boring and sometimes fun depending on what was going on.
Killzone Shadowfall even for what it did and story didn't make a lot of sense I still found it fun. Sure the touchpad was used well for the robot, the 1 required weapon did restrict things but I didn't mind it. Sure it had the Killzone 3 like tone difference to it but I didn't mind. But I wasn't oh it has to be COD set pieces like at all.
Even Knack as long as they are to me I was like huh a family friendly God of War. I'm fine with that and I enjoyed both games. Even replayed 1 on hard mode just for the sake of it. Not done so much with 2 yet.
I never have issues with length or showcasing the graphics unless it's pushed too far. I was fine with the length being short it still took me probably 6-8-10 hours and that's fine. It felt like playing Black 2006, a game with a focus on the singleplayer experience, no MP, some other additional things (trophies in The Order's case, other sub mission goals in Black).
Been playing 6-7th gen shooters campaigns that are that 3 hours for longplays players but for me 6-10 hours length and had fun with their mechanics (sure I get them cheap but doesn't change much for me) like I wanted them to.
Wasn't a tech demo to me The Order 1886, it had what 13+ chapters, felt like a fair game to me.
I don't seek RPGs for the length I do the content (mostly Tactics not turn based/action RPGs anyways these days) so other genres going yep value for money of length, graphics, story but dull gameplay, nah pass.
While probably some fair in here, most of these are not appealing in the slightest, without gameplay most of these sound boring/generic and not exciting titles, box art or reminds me why current gen sucks and I've gone retro is more compelling ideas in games then what these offer.
Visions of Mana is probably fair but not my thing. Cat Quest 3 seems fine......
Like sure Astro, Space Marine are the only two big ones I care about honestly.
Monster Jam is a whatever I'd get out of curiosity for cheap that's it played better rally/truck/ATV games before, the cat firefighter one is probably whatever like most generic animal family friendly games these days.
I forgot about Gori, as hadn't even seen the box art and assumed was digital only or the way the box art is presented confused me, so didn't realise. Probably the only game I ACTUALLY care about on here the others are just fine.
Epic Mickey got on Wii and it's fair, not the best thing I've played better but it does a fair job. But then again a Remaster/Remake for modern platforms.
Ok at best 2D platformers/metroidvanias. Ok story games. Funko just having whatever crossover it's supposed to be. Sky Oceans seems ok. Ok adventure games.
Images Amazon make some games even worse as they still aren't clear what the games even are. XD Nothing like really fair looking screenshots but don't even tell you what the game is visually for combat or level design/whatever of the game. The descriptions kind of help but not enough.
Planet Zoo is fine & since Zoo Tycoon on Xbox One was so dumbed down & pathetic Frontier do a great job with their games & I think always have even if Screamride was fair & different, but many flash games do a better job at what it tried to do.
Neptunia is probably a fine spinoff/entry in the series I guess.
Indies I can't even tell what most of them are & the box arts being so generic do not help me get excited. Some with environment help slightly, not enough. Characters box arts makes me go why should I care? Showing characters once you have played sure, but without having played what is supposed to make me be attracted to the games? Clothing doesn't help either.
The cosy games seem fine but boring.
The obvious other trends or fantasy games seem ok.
There is just nothing here.
Solar Crown to me is the most boring open world title racing game I've seen it's barren and pathetic. Playing the 2nd Unlimited game for context I see the personality or fair missions, not that great because to me the missions are really typical and the location looks nice but I couldn't care less where it's set I don't care about holiday destination recreations. Solar Crown looks pathetically boring.
If missions are boring and the locations or cars or a 'road trip' is the only things to care about and they are so uninteresting too these games really need more as to me I'm struggling to find them appealing at all. Circuit racers are just as boring too of generic or the common 3 events/modes/brand names and it's saddens me. Nothing trying with something different happens.
Matchbox will be a boring licensed games with very little exciting content. Like Funko just mostly going off branding. I think I've seen or heard enough about it during previews.
This gen is just so boring, too many particular trends and so many generic looking games.
Sure El Paso seems fine, sure some of the fantasy/knight games seem ok but not enough for me to tell what they are really about to be intriguing.
1.Far Cry I knew, 2.TR guessed and assumed each year. 3.Guessed dev there not a series heard of much. 4.Guessed as no interest in the series. 5.Always heard about the Vita version being a thing, like Helldivers know it's a PS3/Vita/PS4 game but nothing about it than that besides well footage of course. 6.Guessed as didn't play Ragnarok or the DLC as hate the modern entries. 2018 was so bad, beat the story and gave up, what a waste of my time the series was worth binging though.
7.Guessed but assumed as a desert, never played, never will. 8.Had to guess as never know with different publishing situations sometimes, other than an Eye Toy game never played or seen an Ape Escape game physical so it will be a while till I pick one up and play them. 9.Had to guess as never played the series or heard of the terms in it.
10.Guessed I think. Yeah I don't play major third parties as most of them don't interest me. I mean if Coded Arms/GTI Club/Love Plus and Never Dead are more my interest for Konami let alone similar niche/left behind IPs from other companies it's for a reason then their big IPs that don't and never interested me.
I'm only getting around to Splintercell and beat Conviction but own Chaos Theory/Blacklist now. I had to get into God of War as never experienced it years ago and glad I did. I'm very particular what I'm interested in an what never heard of games I want to play or games I have heard of that I actually do have interest in the gameplay to want to play them.
Some I didn't know as don't play them or care to, but still learned a few things, still didn't care.
Am I excited sure. But if Gunfire is making it aka Chronos, Darksiders 3, Remanent I'm not buying it. They do good ideas in their games no doubt but the soulslike format is not for me the combat/the basic puzzles of 3 was so pathetic, grinding in areas was annoying, I got to the Lust boss (3rd boss) with the awkward attacks and get to about half health and I hate it. That and the metroidvania design is worse. Prime I can understand enough but no map or just some parts being annoying to exit out of for the corridors no thanks. I am ok with a Strife game then just Genesis having both, we need to see what happens and having both his guns with War/Death was cool but seeing his side would be nice. I forget what the state of him was.
We have enough soulslikes, make something else seriously. Ah the DS3 review, what a load of garbage that was.
Souls games have the personality and tone but the combat is so action adventure/light and heavy but so boring and lacking other than wow I attack, I dodge or defend, but it's so slow and so annoying I can't hold my attention with it and don't care to roleplay with them at all and the damage/stamina and difficulty. I get the horror/dark worlds but even then eh pass.
I like each entry is different. 2 didn't do the best RPG design as some leveling gating was annoying (beating the optional level 16 recommend dungeon too on a lower level you bet I played very carefully the same as my brief highest difficulty attempt to see how I'd go) or some regions were confusing.
But the 1st two were great at the items/puzzles/interconnected world design of older Zeldas with the combat system and tone of God of War.
2 had fair RPG ideas and world and some missions or the arena/dungeons were fair, but some dungeons/goal items of get these 3 things weren't the best. But besides being rushed and well THQ dying yeah they did fair with what they had to work with for the time and the DLCs as well.
Genesis I found to be fun as while isometric to me the combat/platforming (something Dialbo games don't have) or the use of War/Strife was cool. It felt like a Darksiders but isometric and I don't mind that. There wasn't much gear sure but collecting and doing puzzles and fair combat with better than Killzone Liberation shooting with Strife and fair melee with War and abilities for each worked out well.
I've wanted a new Darksiders game and one for current gen would be great but if it's going to break the new genre each time thing or be by Gunfire and it's got soulslike design in it. It's a massive pass sorry THQ but Darksiders and Wreckfest matter and otherwise I don't care for much else of their nicher games I see in bargain bins much either.
Even Gothic is probably going to be fair, it had it's charm prior and 'tries to be more advanced' but I mean any AI comments I just ignore, no one has bothered with NPC lives that much, nor to many games even push ambitious systems anymore. SO I'll wait until I see it first.
Same with better shooter animations or a hive mind learning or losing attacks from other enemies or the player so more than a Dark Link concept. Whether a goo or a robot or whatever. I want THAT AI to be tested in a game. Won't happen though.
Being multiple genres isn't much these days and could go either way too. Frog type games we getting a Frogger mode/Frogger map like Advanced Warfare had of the traffic? I mean Frogger had a lot of good ideas in the GBA days. I expect more than Little Kitty Big City level boring cosmetics/boring gameplay design.
Platformers really? I question that as so many games have pathetic mechanics/level design these days and boring verticality of said level design, so boring holiday destinations or fantasy worlds with boring mechanics I highly doubt they offer much mentioning that. Even Indies while I know they try their ideas and level design/missions are so generic. Banjo/Spyro levels is a high complexity I get it but even others like Glover/Space Station Silicon Valley and more are better.
Better then Biomutant with boring animal movesets to navigate the world (I like the game enough but I was disappointed how dull some things were in it even for a fair AA game, gameplay was just so boring & personality put into other places, sigh), whatever outposts and ok puzzles (gas immunity was their best feature) yet has checkpoint peeing and 4 leg sprinting, wow how animalistic of them..... and exciting you could put ANYTHING there and it wouldn't change a thing even the narration it could be any faction with different languages spoken.
Most games safe human movesets.
Fighting I mean what the combo systems? The movement being stiff or particular? The boring flat terrain and beautiful backgrounds? Or small arenas? If a fighting like mode sure but even still.
MOBAs/Life sims I mean? What do I say about MOBAs that isn't already clear and Life sims that can go either way. This could be an MMO for all I know and just happens to have world design or a business model with MOBAs/Life sims with ok world design then platforming level fun of abilities when movesets are so generic these days and fighting games whatever they take from that side of things.
It is inspiration so I shouldn't look that deep but I mean it's not like some connections aren't going to be related right? I assume they won't, whatever the staff have experienced I guess.
I mean platforming could be the building pieces used in Fornite as platforms, wow what inspiration there. XD
It looks ok from the image for this article picked but otherwise if it is still multiplayer in nature I don't even care. Foamstars and other Square published titles had the most boring gameplay and either a business model focus with FOamstars when more exciting modes I came up with in 5 minutes of the launch trailer/brief footage of people playing it or other games are just as generic of modes and movesets or level design that isn't safe and boring for combat encounters at all. Where is dynamic/moving elements not just static platforms with nothing happening to liven up their set locations. The animations or programmers make the most generic worlds or the artists maybe if they want it static then moving platforms or other aspects.
If it is MP but FAIR modes then sure I'll respect it but otherwise who really cares.
I've seen so many that go 'look at us' and to me I'm like yeah whatever visuals/artstyle yawn but your mechanics/gameplay sucks.
The trend following mindsets are too zoned in and other aspects lack personality or FUN then just the blueprint of other games so why would I pay attention when they haven't really done that great with the product to stand out, that's the problem.
I'm excited but the price tag is high for I assume different level of production and that's clear in the screenshots but at the same time to me the exploration of the seas and islands/ports/whatever else and like this review says are weak I mean the original was a space background with only few branching optional paths so to me them expanding it and as not sure how they were going to go about it I was skeptical and still am.
I know it's not open world levels of things but still, time/tedium does matter to me.
I always found the combat to be fun, even tried the 1st one again briefly on hard or normal difficulty and it's still fun.
No quick restarts is kind of annoying though to see as a factor for this one. I can understand why they would have done this but still annoying.
The leveling I was questioning if it would get more depth or not (can go either way these days, especially with how sick and tired of skill trees at this point and how boring the stats/perks are that I avoid games with them) but seems fair I guess. The abilities to another is nice, swapping guns will still be there. Hats maybe even though didn't really care regardless as don't care for cosmetics.
Particular mission types hmm, while I like the idea, in many games whether racing or combat ones it can go either way depending on HOW particular they are though. But I've never hated challenges in games that offer them to spice up a game with more things to do or play a certain way (meaning I don't care for trophies but if they are there it's fair for them to be there, I only go for some in games depending on how useful I think it is or easy enough).
Classes can go either way though. That screenshot makes me think it's level unlocking which is fair I guess it's not an obnoxious skill tree I guess and just unlocks in a menu but still menus, why not just a mission perk unlock or found somewhere why always MENUs. Sick of it. 'We made enough of the game and don't want to alter more so a menu while are what they are to develop is more safer for us' it's just lazy and annoying, at least in AAA more so.
Weapon swapping was fine and the different dialogue/whatever differences they did have based on maybe items I think it was the additional slots and hats were cosmetics so I do forget how not as full that aspect was but it didn't bother me really, some games with too much gear/focus on gear can be just boring to me and stats become annoying for what 1-10% changes and how enemies/party members are is so annoying of their differences.
Didn't know it was 360 exclusive in 2008. I think it's fair for it to reach a wider audience on more platforms and modern platforms but there is a lot of Indies so yeah the competition (kind of like with Switch early on many getting to play Fast Racing/Shovel Knight and more made for a lot to go for besides Breath of the Wild). If the next consoles maybe but that's a while away besides Switch 2.
I think the game was fair, Crush was on PSP before Super Paper Mario had the same mechanic, yet who even knows what Crush is PSP or 3DS version (remaster I think it was as new art, some other tweaks, exactly Mario is remembered more even if the RPG sub series and Crush on 3DS was Sega published too).
I think it probably hold up well, I never played the original, I know that others go the original when it released on modern platforms though as family member played it and anniversary edition wasn't a thing yet and it was on PS4/5, so an anniversary edition besides visuals/tweaks/content or whatever and for the new consoles too I assume yeah not too sure about that. It depends if people want a remaster/definitive edition or something else whatever Anniversary edition offers.
I think he makes great games, the GDC talks were good, I have seen stream clips and I get what he is going for and how some people miss the point, or even if I disagree I still see his points and are valid ones, even if not played Braid but did the Witness during the Play At Home for free and it's good. I think all developers have their vocal responses for fair reasons and the unfortunate state of the industry, experiences with the industry/development/audiences, etc, some people go oh person shouting at the world but at the same time it is valid, just because people don't want to listen their points compared from somewhere and based on many factors. I don't think shouting is funny it isn't comedy, but when valid points are made from their perspective I get it.
I got Limbo + Inside combo physical (then digital which gets them more money but I buy physical as prefer it) and it's great value I think Playdead's past titles while like a Daikatana and Doom, some staff splitting and how Summerville I think it was, some games just don't turn out a certain way.
I mean I hate the way the industry is in a gameplay sense yet we get people jumping on visuals, we get boringt themed games with shooters in the SWAT/military corner forced that way, platformers by Indies are too underdeveloped currently, racing games are just as safe and boring with milking brands/licenses no matter the motorsport we get boring mechanics or 1 to 2 devs if lucky pull out a good mechanic but most are safe and boring.
So audiences wanting visuals, what looks cool of set pieces which take a while to work around and are subjective on if impactful enough (so feeling then how well constructed/ambitiously cool it is), oh this and that wants when games change all the time.
I think SW Outlaws needs a better reputation system with it connecting to more of the game but it's going to release soon so I doubt it will get that change, I doubt the staff cared/maybe they didn't have time, didn't think about it or weren't skilled enough, anything is possible, nor do I care really, the rest is there and works.
It isn't my type of game but I still care enough for what is offered in the product, same with Foamstars with my mode ideas and a game I didn't play there either.
The thing I question the most isn't the servers, licenses for games (besides those delisted already, even though I bought WRC 4 on VIta when its' clearly outdated, probably are MotoGP games as well or any others with music or even if none of that licensing just the trademark or other factors anymore) as well that's valid by the companies, but the customers. That & store is slow yes.
If most care about major games, have or haven't bought up the PS1/2/PSP or even PSP Minis, or Indies, why would people care? They don't want ALL games so why complain? I get those that do still actively use these platforms, myself included but I mean ask any Wii U owner if they played the many PSP Minis ported to it? You'll get probably no body to maybe rare ones like myself that did buy them. Sure people talk up Affordable Space Adventures, but who does Rush rather than Toki Tori? Or Edge the expanded mobile version on Wii U then the PSP Minis release. Exactly.
I'm buying up many 6-7th gen shooters physical, I haven't checked PS3 as my wifi chip sucks for the controllers and the console. I have another PS3 but no interest in accessing the PS3 store, but do the Vita store on occasion. PS3/360/Wii were the last of experimental titles by some companies & direction, less IPs then we see today. Even for shooters alone, 1-3 entries then ended, some back compat on Xbox, some not. I'm buying them for curiosity/mechanic interest, same with platformers, racing, puzzle, hack n slashes, etc.
Valkyrie Store Plugin was a sign, that's been blocked but maybe still accessible to Sony it's just they don't want players to which is a bit dodgey if for PS+ or others/how inferior looking can be or to make us move on to the next platform. Like Nintendo did prices or delisting of Wii U games when Switch versions came out for Skyward Sword/Pikmin 3. Dodgey.
I get money and people aging or responsibilities, other titles as a priority or whatever the case a customer can't do anything about, it happens with life getting in the way or other titles or other factors and not able to afford them all.
But I mean what percentage of people cared like collectors did for Captain U or Umbra on Wii U? In the 360's case I didn't hear about some games till this year. So I totally get games we never heard of/then came across later, before/after store closure.
No one really has heard of those end of eshop period release games or cares & that furthers my point. XD It's why I bought Captain U. Umbra I couldn't as was USA eshop only but still a horror game that was in the news for balance board support but had to cut it, sigh, like Wii Vitality sensor being cancelled possiblities.
360 same thing, most bought up the digital versions of big games, DLC/themes & more sure I totally get, but games wise unless it's the VC/XBLA games most people don't care.
Getting them while we can is one thing, caring at all about them is another & narrow view of interest in titles unless a collector/nostalgic/hearing about something & getting it then oops store is down it's unfortunate but did have time, "to a degree" to get them over other titles, with/without discounts as annoying as that is & glad Capcom did for 3DS/Microsoft for 360, will Sony who knows?
I think the open world lacks. The reputation is very not related to planet destruction of trees or bothering traders on routes, the lacking not just a shooting but I mean ramming into them or player detection of them to annoy them. WHY? Very basic reputation towards dialogue. Maybe shooting some but otherwise not that expanded as could be. Online required, pass. Don't care editions/social issues. I focus on gameplay.
Space seems ok but just debris, enemies and a few objects, no space quests or other things? I get planets are the focus but still. Icons need VALUE not just repetitive.
If quests are dialogue & same boring attack, collect, RPG type ones then pass. Sigh. Not all have to be a minigame but to me those are more memorable (Spyro, Second Son, Sunset Overdrive mix of), playing them. Not only snore dialogue & snore interactivity.
If just outposts/structures, with not a lot in the spaces between the core areas of cities or outposts then that will be sad.
It depends what they want to fill the world with. I know they can do it but hard to tell with select footage of course.
The reputation for things isn't a charisma points or otherwise so for dialogue or shop discounts sure but the lack of other detection is not NEED but is disappointing as it would heighten the game but yes it would take longer but I mean there is a reason people praise Rockstar (whether Red Dead lasso or others, Minecraft Redstone updated always, cauldron in Nether doesn't disappear, can jump in to remove fire/fill glass bottles, yet a bucket in the game will make it disappear, how cool/useful).
I don't need EVERY possibility in games but it's nice when some Devs do, not just seat/drink. Not core things.
While Skyrim's intro is what it is, seeing a video where a non-gamer went I'll wait this out, yeah.... that doesn't work, no attacking the player, no forcing them besides text/dialogue probably, not 'you need to run' via actually forcing the player, yeah immersion broken, but by that point for sure of a scripted 'follow this how we intend it' scene.
Infamous' good/bad system waiting or acting on it moments not Second Son good/bad points to grind. The world looks fine, the Far Cry like animal aggression dynamic elements seems fair like Far Cry does it. The Storm Troopers going hold on there until you respond was good. The platforming is action adventure basic but that's not a bad thing it does what it needs to for environments. The grapple momentum is good.
The more powerful but throwing away weapons is eh. But the reload minigame from Gears is where for overheating weapons YAY! No idea if Battlefront used it I don't remember but Gears has for years and it was always great even with Impulse triggers.
Looks good. Don't care for water realism. Other priorities were focus of course.
I think the horse bedding minigame is a bit eh why not Holo play it then pay & wait. Or do further bedding type stuff but just pay & watch, wow how authentic yet not that exciting. Even a slot machine could offer hacks/other things to be more engaging then pay & watch.
Has fair core but the reputation system seems weak.
I don't expect Alpha Protocol dialogue to be very fight a boss or play the level as differences but I mean that game as buggy as it was had more compelling decisions to me than most safe scripted outcomes in games today.
Dynamic things exist like the storm trooper or Far Cry animal logic but others don't and it makes me go why should I care/be bored.
@Perturbator They could if they wanted to put Killzone 1 from PS2 on there then the HD remaster or 2 & 3 and Mercenary won't get on there. That and well streaming PS3 just works for them still.
Nearly 100%ed other than the Ch5 on hard and maybe a few others.
It's awkward at first but you get used to it. Padded out what do you mean? Did we play the same game? You say it's repetitive yet the parts that mix things up you critique. It is 'padding' yes in more content but you say it's repetitive so what do you ACTUALLY want? You want to breeze through a handheld title? Forget it's a 'focused' not all Ratchet a bunch of devs making whatever minigames & somehow have a flow to it? Killzone does what it does/always did.
Challenges are a breath of fresh air for quick bite size. Main missions are way harder & if die like will in Killzone & Resistance have their challenging parts of AI/level design & damage to enemies.
Environments are varied enough. It's also cover based, like intended.
Metal Gear on PSP to me controls like garbage but has the depth/key factors of the series, a stealth game more in depth then Splitercell Conviction on PS3/360 does, let alone SWAT Target Liberty on PSP where I'd seen the mirror under the door in both games.
So why the comparison of themes & content to Liberation? This person either forgets how Killzone is, haven't played the series or is missing something. Killzone was never a gameplay wild game series. A looker yes but it doesn't need to be wowing people on PSP. Neither did Arctic Edge for MotorStorm. The jetpacks/shop and few things in Liberation/3/Mercenary even. Heavy character feel is spot on too.
Brown is incorrect to con it for, it was common for the time/tone & the whole series colour pallet, I don't like brown/grey/white either but if were going to con in a picky sense makes sense to properly judge it.
Repetitive I mean play any Killzone game there is limits to what you do in them or mechanics/tweaks, or ANY shooter with a focused game design not a platformer, it feels like a Killzone game, it does a fair story. It's on PSP. Did we play the same game with the right mindset as I did.
The DLC Ch 5 is free now but not bundled with this version of PS+ Deluxe/Premium? I don't know for sure. For PSP it's free now to import. Ch 5 is recommended to join up with Killzone 2's story too Ch 4 doesn't connect to Killzone 2.
The jet pack, and a few others do mix things up. Sounds like a Killzone game. I've played all Killzone games now & plenty of 6th/7th gen shooters, Liberation fits right in. But when people focus on current gen too much they miss a bit of details from the past how different they were/hold up.
Mercenary is the most different story/mechanic wise in the series besides 3. So if to judge 1 and 2 or Liberation is just stupid for reviewers to do. Would they call Ratchet oh too complex/too many puzzles/and stuff no one wants but oh they experimented too much.
The challenges are well designed upon beating each chapter. The structure works, cinematic moments yeah of course you would say that. Typical. I think the weapons are good enough for what they tried to offer. Enough of each weapon type.
Targeting I do agree on that, it takes getting used to but still needed fixing. I think other isometric games of the time probably do it better. Even Darksiders Genesis does it better in the modern era.
Glad they didn't con it for not being cough an FPS. It works with the hardware, the staff did so & wanted to do something different. I'm all for it being what it was. Better then the repetitive cinematic trash we get these days & have to ask for Astro among the repetitive current gen IPs.
If they think the way the market is going sure. Most likely they will though then what they niche think will work not just because of being bought by Sony either I think they have a goal in mind and will compare to others as many do then making something ambitious, or stand out they all want something movie related or particular of other games, then original and proving it like Indie have to of an audience and us dedicated look around and help Indies out.
With the money they have and Sony security anything is possible but there is a reason we have Astro and Media Molecule, and the rest are what they are of IPs in their corners.
I mean their first IP to now remasters/remakes to now, anything is possible from them and whatever that staff is like now then years ago. Who is working there now.
Whatever Sony thinks works too.
The footage/speculation is fair but I'm waiting as I don't think I'll be impressed either way, I haven't been since 2017, I haven't since 2013+ of these two gens the state of games, the game design, fun factor, genres being safe, boring, brands or whatever other trends or whatever else going on, but if it works for some audiences good for them. Good for the studio to get to make an original IP again too.
I have no interest in Splitterhead, too scary for me but I think it will be excellent and the mechanics/presentation/trailer looked great and is a return from Siren prior.
@somnambulance Yeah the motion in Skyward Sword isn't great. I got used to it but could tell how not great it was so can understand that.
The tracking, the sword swings, flow of the game and more for sure.
Yeah like a bad smell always a fair anology.
Nah I get that, it fits a certain audience and that's fine, not everything is for everybody.
Or even in VR just make it controller support then Move or Dualshock/Dualsense motion. Just regular controls is enough.
But having TVs as the main experience or a handheld by all means.
Options matter and should be the intended experience.
Whether it's up to particular button mapping/mechanics that's it's own topic and yeah many are similar to other games these days but sometimes games can be wild, whether older games cameras, abilities/button mapping or an Indie do that.
While fair I do think heavy marketing for it isn't ideal but they have to some how I guess. Also the booths seem cool. Thing is that marketing wouldn't get me to pick up the game or try it even if still would buy a platformer because why not it's a good game. Too many eyes judging, no thank you.
They should know how big of an audience we are open to this game not over market it and go 'well you wanted it'.
Like they should know better they have the data on how big an audience between other similar to Astro of platformers or other types of games they may not have a good enough amount as it differs and they don't have all of us tracked for the types that would buy it or others. I know they don't do THAT deep of research or paying attention, only few would and they aren't likely to.
They may use data but if they can understand the feel or motives of a customer then they know for sure how sizeable we are not just oh size and that's it. Whether Astro's Playroom, whether the PSVR stuff, whether Playroom Camera app on PS4, whether other games comparable of audience appeal to Astro on particular angles. But will they do that, NO. Would I probably not but if I wanted to I'd pay attention enough to the factors on a certain level of that just encase.
But on a general sense they should know for the thousands/early millions of us vocal or not on social media who will buy it and not to over do it and be stupid about marketing it/wasting so much money on marketing besides it's development cost or physical release or other factors.
They know small amounts of money count, they know were a sizeable audience for platformers, colourful games, ambitious games then the mostly other ones we see coming out from them to make most of their audience money besides the PS store and third parties and so on.
Or else they are just as blind and stupid as I can always expect they will be then blame the audience when it's their way of handling things and to balance it out and understand what to ACTUALLY pay attention to of factors. If I can think this up, they should know it's the case for the business instead of blaming audiences and not thinking with their heads enough of any warning signs then just oh 1 million sales hmm not good enough, yeah yeah.
Beat both Splintercell Conviction (did both endings) and Battlefield 3, in each weekend day so that was a fair experience. I usually don't care much what I play and just chip away at a few different games but those days I beat them both campaigns.
Part 2:
There is a reason I hated the way DMC 5's V or Bayonetta 3 plays because the two balancing of characters is so bad. Bayonetta Origins and Astral Chain balance it better. So Astral Chain to Bayonetta 3 to me was the most what were they thinking and in V's case for DMC 5 the NPC like waiting for actions to happen was just horrible. I'll get back to the game at some point but it put me off the game as I think V's character is a great idea for gameplay, just executed so badly.
I prefer a Bayo, old God of War, DMC, Knack, Darksiders 1 & 2, Conan, Beowulf, Dante's Inferno, etc. Ninja Gaiden 2 is hard but also requires more skill in the genre, I'm fine with that. Z is fair. 3 not played much of. But I'll take a Gori or AKimbot even as inspired by Jak/Ratchet with fair tones then others. I think there is appeal for Conker/Naughty Bear yet those won't sell with the mixed cartoony/mature tone either.
I get tactics games for my RPGs for strategy, stats, geo panels, third person shooter whatever combo of pacing for things, I mean there is a reason I get picky with tactics RPGs is pacing for grinding or what mechanics they have, having just whatever Darksidesr 3 tried to do to be like the others but more dull in it's souls or metroidvania way of changing itself I just found it annoying,
Chronos is a fair game but even then it's combat, the aging mechanic is cool, the thing is the level design, the lack of armour justification when moving which thematically and gameplay wise made no sense, and other things in these games. I mean they want to be a soulslike so bad yet they don't have level design, combat or world balance that From does.
Soulslikes feel like how I feel about fighting games, clunky and slow paced. Fighting games feel like moving heavy action figures around, I hate the more strict and awkward movement of the characters, for 2D it makes sense per sprite/frame of animation for 2.5D or 3D, why? The sprite art makes sense in 2D with certain animations, in 3D they feel clunky and horrible.
Smash it's the case too I hate the way characters feel it's like they have to walk on a grid/tip toe almost it feels weird. It's the reason I don't buy fighting games is the movement, the arenas sizes and what to do on them.
Let alone tag or others of the 1 on 1, the locations look boring terrain wise, just wow the same flat thing to fight on but the background is different. XD
It's why I don't mind the better action adventure feeling but combos of hack n slash/character action I get the feeling I want of characters but the combos I want of combat variety to be as spam or as strategic as I want. (Hack n slash I get is Diablo but I don't play those really and I hate the term character action).
Not a character action game with boring skill trees or clunky slower paced combat.
It's like buying Doom/Quake and going great only boomer shooters to buy because of only slower paced modern shooters (not just because the settings being military/SWAT and being really boring and repetitive). Pacing can make a game.
Or lacking arcade racers and pushing brands/generic modes so why should I want to play or buy them when they are so boring and overplayed. Some people want a spectale but also something fast and fun, not slow, repetitive combat, fair world design of course in soulslikes no doubt but also particular design that isn't appealing to me to play as a character.
As into the spectacle that the soulslikes don't have, the pacing/flow of combat especially kills soulslikes for me, basic puzzles, PS3/360/Wii was the turn of 'the same game of this direction and the still last of experimental design before it was only Indies or Indies with nostalgia/copy pasting too' that we are in nowadays. I can compare racing/shooters/platformers of 5-7th gen. I can't a soulslike and not just because I haven't researched them. I mean I didn't say Foamstars mode/map ideas for nothing, is because it could have been more unique yet it wasn't. Diofield is more bland than Valkyria Chronicles 4 with more compelling missions and mechanics.
Stellar Blade's combat pacing, made me not buy the game, the rest is great.
Some put fair additions to the formula no doubt but not in ways I want to play and also the trend never interested me. Playing shooters/platformers/racing of 20 years ago and the mechanics I notice them more then I do other AAA of nowadays, sure Watch Dogs/Fenix or others from Ubisoft on occassion or some other types (as not a fan of those open worlds at all but know people that play them otherwise wouldn't even notice the mechanics).
The combat/armour heaviness (not just oh 'controls' but no justification fort the character moving that way either) and tone/worlds/etc. Of From Software makes total sense from their other dungeon crawlers, horror games and more of the past or even Cookies and Cream and other different games they have made, the competitors like Lords of the Fallen of OLD went too fair and learned nothing of mistakes showing they just are stupid for a trend and issues players can have they will copy then understand why they don't work and why other entries changed things, why audiences said so as well, while others have tried and to me feel like fair ideas but not impactful or are too much wannabes for the trend and wasting their time. Can say the same for multiplayer games, some have great ideas but don't apply them well or only apply them to multiplayer.
AA soulslikes though the metroidvania, RPG or whatever I don't notice as much, like Darksiders 3/Chronos I noticed their mechanics but the others I couldn't tell you they seem like just whatever different setting and similar combat I have no interest in and all blend together gameplay wise (like Steel Rising is cool of setting but that's about it). Or another character in Code Vein. I rarely see much that exciting or impactful to the trend as I have past overly pushed genres.
the worlds and other factors or going oh it's wait ah trailer for yep, it's a soulslike, pass yeah you bet I prefer hack n slashes/character action games because of the pacing of combat, because of the effects, the level design,
because if I wanted an RPG or a soulslike in TONE or level design or basic combat and want hack n slash DEPTH of combos I'd get an action RPG if I want something differently paced, different set pieces, and other factors but I don't want action RPGs to buy regardless of their missions/journey/combat/perks and so on story, soulslikes have tried many things but it's not a trend i care for because the pacing of combat, because the level design isn't exciting to me.
Players have been doing that for years of working out the suspension and a few other key settings, the Escudo on Seattle to get through walls, flying at high speeds (or on Test Course) in GT3, I think overengineering the Merc 1886 cart/car as well, similar in later entries with other cars.
It's nothing new. The fact they are finding it now says a lot.
I love how people jump on a game for a visual update and the pretty characters/gameplay of the Capcom poll is it's own audience but even still. I swear some people.
The update is fine, sure it adds more character, more terrain/sky changes, sure it's prep for Light No Fire, but to me the content updates prior were more compelling not some visual nonsense I find boring and annoying.
To me the villages and processing machines were cool, the expeditions are boring cosmetics for the effort to get. Some parts of the economy would be nice to expand on but otherwise it's fair, the tutorial is a bit annoying though, but the game content wise has expanded well enough to me as someone that's followed the updates but not played it but know those that have and got nothing to do because they breeze through things or at end game so not much to do.
But I hated Minecraft 1.7.2 the most the algorithm for biomes and all the flowers and whatever sucked and weren't compelling to me at all, I still hate it years later and tolerate it, and 1.16 Nether was ok and 1.18 was just alright.
To me function over fancy, but seeing as people like skins, pretty locations/holiday destination worlds with boring missions while I hate the outdoors it's boring and planet Earth is just repetitive trees, grass, desert, canyons, mountains and other boring colours/terrain that's really ugly to look at.
I can handle structure/technical things but most people want whatever looks cool/pretty.
I hate realism so to me seeing sandstorms, planet rings, and other whatever it's fine but too me distracting and not appealing at all. Sandstorms can have a gameplay benefit and they have in the game always but even still. It takes people that barely noticed the game, a visual update happens and people go wow. People are so stupid when it comes to seeing what games do.
Anything ambitious always never gets the respect it deserves it's why audiences kill games because they are stupid, notice characters/enemies/worlds but the gameplay to make it FUN or the loading times or other technical feats, nah. I'm not even an expert and understand the goes on and am impressed by those elements.
But people go oh the 2016 trailer. Yeah and who played Minecraft or Gran Turismo 5 & 6 with free updates or understand survival games and their structure then boring open world formulas with boring worlds, characters, missions and generic character movesets, idiots.
I miss the old multiplayer sure it didn't work well, sure it was realistic of being in space but still it was unique.
I want sandbox/survival game content, something that Minecraft sucks at these days with bad mob votes, by the audience and the developers and bad use cases of features for the mobs and the updates. The crafting table/wind of the latest was fine but even then I'm not playing the game because most of it is boring and mods got me from 1.13-1.17 but otherwise eh had more fun writing up wikis then I have playing the game.
@somnambulance None are mandatory they are always optional. Then again PSVR1 some are Move mandatory and I always found that to not be a good idea.
They aren't always great implementation but it varies from developer to game. I find Ubisoft used it well on the Wii in Red Steel 2 or Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands Wii version. I found they used the Wii/Wii U really well for things.
I treat gyro as if it's a finer range for smaller range or a wider camera if I don't mind it moving that far but it can be annoying when it spins around widely/or as if a third analogue stick (not even to imagine an analogue stick per handle of the N64 either just thought of now XD).
It can be awkward to use yes but I've gotten used to it the more I've played of Wii/PS3/Switch and the few PS4 games that do, same with the touchpad or dual screens to understand them and see if they were bad or not and some are no doubt.
@Stickleman It's been a thing since PS3/Vita, they don't really advertise it much because of the triggers/touchpad are more the focus then an older feature and during PS4 while touchpad or the mic features was used not really often either.
I recall it in what Killzone, Last of Us 2, Nier Automata did it for 2 different menus using the touchpad, most others I can't think of, but PS5 has somewhat had used it more which is great. All Gran Turismo entries since 5 (5, 6, Sports, 7) have used gyro, I think Mario Kart did it better and some arcade racers can be horrible with it, but it's fair as an option like d-pad is for those that like that over sticks for racing.
Can't say third parties really as don't remember hearing many offer support really in articles and haven't really played major third parties all too much and any I have don't support any of the Dualshock 4/Dualsense. Even then surprised Thief PS4 uses the touchpad or gyro I forget haven't started it yet but it's in the settings. But as Deux Ex supported Vita Remote Play or Wii U or a phone app not surprised Edios did for Thief.
I only came across gyro used in things like Gal Gun or Wonderful 101, not major games, I think or most people don't care for it and just play with sticks.
Ubisoft did a good job in the Wii era with it in Red Steel 2.
It's a fair option if implemented well (more so Switch ports of Doom, RE Relevations to reload with IR is 'interesting', Monster Hunter Rise with the bow is good, Splatoon, Zelda I'm more aware of) and some on PC use the gyro input for it as well and match it to a mouse in Steam Input.
But if the gyro stacks up well alongside Forbidden West (not played but know the feature exists) or others I'd say it's probably fair. Was disappointed Rift Apart didn't support it as while the Sixaxis support in Tools/Crack were odd for the ball gadget or a weapon it would have been nice to see weapon aiming alongside the triggers, oh well.
Ubisoft has made good use of motion in the Wii era (cough when is Red Steel 2 in VR Ubisoft), so interested to see how they go this time as on PS4 they never added it I think. Had only Japanese games that used it instead. So PS5 games having it is great FINALLY.
I had no idea Days Gone did, but seeing as they did for Uncharted Golden Abyss and that controlled well I'm impressed to see it there I didn't play it. Did Gravity Rush though.
It being an option is nice to have for the audience that wants it and if it's implemented well.
I mean if the triggers will be supported why not the gyro.
Playing old and later shooters, primiarly PS2/3 era shooters and collecting them it's been interesting feeling the changes of sticks and aiming but gyro is still better with the wider/small range of aiming.
Splatoon 1, 2 and BOTW used it so well, Monster Hunter Rise used it well. I'm for it as an option for those that want it and to actually give the feature some use in games.
I mean no one talks Impulse Triggers on Xbox and I've only played Gears 4, 5, Forza Motorsport 5-7 and Project Cars 3 with them that's it.
I'm all for Xbox having gyro in their next controller but that's a gen away from those leaked plans and if that's even accurate.
It's good they took on feedback (get the reputation/impression to change but that's not enough for people, it's effort to prove, not words) but if a training mode wasn't part of the plans they clearly don't understand how to make a game possible to ease players in, rushing is and pressing buttons isn't ideal for people to learn.
Vet Devs should notice problems in the distinction (not make the same they always have/bend it to a trend) or other key helpful features (not go oh MP Vet gamers will play it, uh they make up how much of your potential audience/won't pull away from other games?).
They need a good business model to survive.
Attachment/what always worked/unable to transition. I do question competition aware or dev passion. Hogwarts Legacy is a turn around of a non-open world dev studio compared to a Redfall, it says a lot how some people do design regardless of book/movie IP or open worlds as reference. Avalanche were dead/revived & made HL.
If I know that average people are into say gardening, recommend them a gardening game, or a movie/tv series they enjoy & make sure a game with easy enough controls. So why wouldn't that logic apply? Expert mentality? Not great bad communication between staff & understanding competition. They compete but don't understand the format/efforts they put into it to differ from the originators. Or Pub/Execs are the problem which yes can be the case then the devs under the bus.
Data is one thing, art & how to make it fun/compete is another. If people notice the art but not the gameplay design same as a song with it's crazy techniques but more so how it a human voice/lyrics or single/album art that's another factor. Visuals, social modernising or gameplay. I prefer gameplay/aka technique smartly designed.
Studio should look to others not as competition but as 'hmm we should do this to learn from as this benefits players understanding our game, prototyping concepts', any smart developer prototypes or draws/story boards something wouldn't they? This makes it a distinct product and so on not 'we will compete but just copy paste, enough character & other design details/game flow to not get sued' yeah I love when games do that sigh, something we gamers notice & overanalysis.
Ah Pub/Exec make that decisions, skilled or building up/translating sure but they need a balance of creative staff & zoned technical mindset staff or else we end up with repeat/dull products with eh level design/character movesets/maps/flow of a game. Or those with real mentality then 'fiction' mentality.
Or a thing called QA testers or even devs testing their game, understanding what 'fun' is and how it scales per features added/removed/tweaked per game.
If they can understand how software development works but with an art twist it isn't that hard.
It's like with a youtuber if they just copy paste that's on them, they create their own style not just I like these creators, copy and paste the games they play and humour.
They need enough to stand out, they can't always mimic someone, play the same games as skilled or have the same games they like.
They need a niche. If Sony has story driven movie games as their niche to stand out now (as well as repackage into other media for their other departments to work with) then the variety they had prior, how is a multiplayer game that sees a trend but doesn't understand how to stand out become something. oh wait. People don't research the way they SHOULD or research at all.
I get alternate history but the historical resource people they have is their own thing in terms of what seen/heard.
I like Resistance/Wolfenstein for being alt history.
I don't care about realism/accuracy it's why I'll take more than authenticity to cars or people or other things in games/tv shows and whatever stereotypes/archetypes or starting point.
But won't deny the game has some hmm about it.
To present Japanese culture well I assume matters not just for that audience because it's set during the periods/location it is but others and because of the competition of Ghost of Tsushima (which did a better job and Japanese players were happy about it and of course had Sony as well maybe or others to get more info about aspects of history for the island/period),
or of Japanese devs making their own games set in those periods of time and obviously know their history well enough to present worlds around it. Especially with others on the market and proper research needed before changing it for an alt history take.
Though the Japanese that do comment on things can be similar to westerners of particular details positive/negative to give a star rating/response on Amazon of a product or service even when watching youtubers that are Japanese translate some things for us overseas viewers on certain topics.
I have no interest in the game but to me generic character aside, the gameplay idea of how they do upgrades is different (similar to old AC but at least not a typical RPG or the AC RPG format, to me Outlaws, Fenix Rising, Avatar, Watch Dogs show they have been trying different things for those games and people will still complain about the RPG format or open world or whatever visuals, sure the AI may be what it is and try to be better, sure people want whatever vibes to blow them away while I seek gameplay and 'function' over whatever fanciness they want to be WOWed by).
Sure open world (unless the missions/minigames are good and space travel is NMS good then Starfield disappointing), sure this that and the other but eh.
The internet connection sure I'm not a fan of that either. I don't care for their subscription/business models either. I don't care for most of their games at all. I'm not people that play them/want to and complain about the grind, have 100s of hours and go eh it sucks but still buy it. I don't buy them. I bought Fenix Rising when it was $4, it's a fine game. The forcing of the story is fine and some unlocks of things I'll get to but exploration is ok I guess, writing was fair, combat was ok, world was visually fair for the setting.
No one buys ambitious games, people buy whatever is more appealing to them or whatever people say is popular. Ambitious games are niche. Any safe or 'safe but good enough little details' people buy. If they did we'd have better racing games than whatever cars people are attached to, same with any part of history they are attached to of a setting for a game or other factors of cool looking (generic) characters.
The gameplay well..... I'm not going to play it/buy it. I know people that will. I care for Rayman/Prince of Persia/Mario Rabbids (on a whim did and enjoyed it), Red Steel 2, those are my Ubisoft games of choice.
Even if not the best showing of the state of the game (games are in such states they aren't masterpieces of design when in development they are well in alpha/beta for reason any body should know that, sure games can be eh on launch then day one updates, but it depends on the build shown we don't know yet how far back this build was, people need to pay attention to game development more then just wow game looks cool or whatever bandwagon they want to be on, (IF fair sure of being not fair on the lore/world and such, social issues I have no say on, but if just to be part of a bandwagon and have no brain or no understanding of games well enough even if buying games for 20+ year it's how people handle their 20+ years of gaming and what games have done over those years era to era)) or spoil set pieces for people to be WOWed at every turn. I mean why would they reveal the best parts?
I'm not in the hate live services side I'm not fussed, I get why companies make them, I'm not their audience but I still look at the news. I knew it was a MP game even before the SOP trailer, but some people didn't know that. I have no interest in it but I was still curious.
Ambitious games can be good/bad but no one cares other than a small audience. Some that are good enough are popular due to the gameplay/story telling/characters & world.
Live service or not, if OW/Valo do what people are after why would they move? Same with MMO audiences, distinct game or samey? Also MAG/Warhawk existed? It needs a training mode, it needs compelling team/mode/map design to it.
I am in the is this game distinct enough camp, same as I do for any retro games I buy or any modern singleplayer games I buy for their gameplay, or has good ideas they could implement and I don't see it with Concord the way I did Foamstars and to me if it can't balance it's cutscenes that Titanfall 1 & Anthem as story core elements or even Overwatch has it for marketing only. Why Concord?
If those proved it then that's their problem of not understanding oh a story mode in a racing game well if it's good enough people will care besides it's other modes and well compelling cars or compelling gameplay even if fake cars.
But if a multiplayer game that audience wants in and out, good modes/maps and good cosmetics, if it's not fun progression systems or other aspects of it's core why would they bother playing.
The gameplay ideas and moves aren't anything that compelling, and the other character/other factors then well it's not surprising even besides the $40 what people think about it.
I had ideas for Foamstars, I posted in any article about it my thoughts on modes/map details, I never played it, I thought it had potential but it wanted business model first priorities and deserves to die. That's their problem for making a bad multiplayer game too weak on content, being behind in the multiplayer space, wanting an entrance and by publishers that don't understand.
Same issues I had with Diofield they made a boring story driven tactics RPG besides it's more real time differences. The gameplay was repetitive. I platinumed it like i planned, but Valkyria Chronicles 4 had more depth and appeal from 2018.
Some companies just suck at gameplay and see trends but don't have the skill, insight or enough content prepped for their live service.
If an MMO player wants something new they will jump, but none do that much a dramatic shift for their game because it's too risky, but how large is that audience going that want dramatic change and the rest go eh happy with this one due to this gameplay design, their hours into the games, these themes/setting and so on or just already enough hours into it.
Like any multiplayer game if the crossovers, cosmetics, core game design and their hours into one is the case, why would they jump ship other than to cover it, and move on if it isn't for them.
The problem with multiplayer games, is the design, the business model and actually being distinct enough or people going eh I'll be into this one.
Besides the glaring problems of Concord of cosmetics/characters, progression or their movesets and the general flow of the game not being fun to people (depends on the person and the size of the audience), but is to others but we know it will flop and many people that may want to jump in want to save their money which makes sense.
1.Obvious.
2.No idea didn't play it but guessed right still at random. May be a big game many PS players are into. I wouldn't know I didn't play it. I know someone that did, still didn't know this. Guessed right still, I'd seen other party members and assumed hmm if they are a party member then maybe.
3.Random guess thought was another. I'd seen the studios' wikipedia before but had to think about it.
4.Had to guess, assumed the largest, went 2nd largest. I don't know, I don't care for it, don't remember the news on it.
5.Need to get further through Infamous but yeah still an easy one
6.Guessed, surprised right, what a typical name easy to guess. Never heard their first name, don't remember hearing it in the games at all in any COD game they feature in.
7.Guessed wrong, don't care, wouldn't know any different, not a thing I'm familiar with.
8.What a guess, not surprised it's the lowest metacritic then the others.
9.Thought I'd seen it somewhere before, never played it, fair guess that was correct.
10.Haven't played Parappa in a while on PSP, and not touched on PS4. I remember the later parts but not the first one said by him. Guessed right wow.
Cool event, cool presentation, none of those games interest me and never heard of some of them at all I had to look at them and go ah those types of audiences, gotcha.
It's cool it is but eh not sure. Good on them for sales in pancake though besides the PC headsets sales. I mean to me the Dreamcast game had not great feel, it was a thing to master of course I'm just not good at the game, maybe arcade was better. I want this game to do well I think it's great but I won't not be critical either.
If the motion is in the pancake version sure, if it's stick it better be improved or else why bother unless scaling of the character moveset which devs never do, sigh, it's why movesets and feel of characters matter so much, let alone character weight being so heavy and boring in modern games to me, floaty to a degree I prefer.
For a sci-fi Squash or Breakout or whatever it's become now. Yeah the experience is cool but if it sucks to play not worth it.
Motion to me was a good benefit not just the headset and the setting of the game. Because the stick controls and not just oh it was for Dreamcast so old console and oh old bad feel, when I prefer some old physics or stick feel of many PS2 games.
When my racing physics favourites are PGR series and GT3 there is a reason for it. PGR I have no nostalgia for either to further my point. GT3 I am more familiar with but I just know my way around it's physics too. While GT5&6 the tires used were comfort and garbage in many events and the physics I hated.
Other puzzle games sure they are fine but not a big breakout type person, prefer other puzzle games instead.
The more people that buy games and the same ones come up the less surprising it gets of oh PS5 upgraded GTA, COD MW3 was a surprise though. Or is it because of that entry;'s warzone as Warzone 2 or whatever is still a thing separated right? But not purchases. Then again is it the latest? I forget.
Sports I mean eh not surprised whenever they appear for the year and people buy for the players/repeat the same Ultimate Team character picks.
Sure I question it in racing campaigns using cars, upgrading them and whatever but they don't have those more particular systems in the modes so it's fine I guess? The repetition isn't lost for sure on such structures.
TV shows for Fallout, Last of Us and such sure. Other MP titles, whether good or bad news on them and people still playing, or playing now. Whatever the case.
Well can't wait for Space Marine 2 not, not because it's Warhammer/a big IP but because if it isn't a military/SWAT game in multiplayer and beside Aveum or besides others. What else is there for me to buy that's a different shooter, 7th gen fantasy/sci-fi ones of course which is what I'm doing. Same with other genres, some modern on occasion the rest retro in of older big IPs and any left behind IPs with cool ideas in them and remembering what the medium did offer on the old and the modern and the bigger picture not nostalgia. I don't care for nostalgia of PS1-3 era of that game design or those IPs, many I've never heard of and having fun branching out not just because cheap or fair pricing on old games, I care for the mechanics and actual development efforts gained and lost that's what.
Part 2: Some of us are collectors & do enjoy exploring random games, not many people probably do that (even with word of mouth on them/are too stupid to understand & just eat up hype, hear what is good, & don't understand games on a deeper level or their tastes to know if it's for them) because whatever is safe is more worth it to them and we end up with safe games, or other priorities for story/themes and messaging/safe characters to play as/graphics/whatever in projects today.
I'll play as a tornado or other weird character possibilities for a game and not just another human/animal/the same cars whether they have super hero powers or not. I don't care what I play as, as long as the gameplay is good.
But nostalgia for others makes more sense to me like with Metroidvanias or 2D/3D platformers rather than racing games with the same cars and safer mode offerings in the modern era when better mechanics were offered in the past and wasting their money on licenses when Wreckfest like Flatout/Burnout before it proves many of us want games even without the licenses.
Some Indies are just as a bad as AAA, nostalgia but not adding distinct game design differences just here is a successor. So we get safe Indies alongside any ambitious ones. It depends on the skills/whatever the vision was to fill in a gap or make Little Kitty Big City off of Stray/Goose game or a Hades clone type trend games with multiplayer but still similar or whatever.
We don't see much ambition, due to skilled people to branch out their ideas or just follow a trend instead but just tweak it enough as it's too risky I guess or people get too attached too easily or are too lazy to try anything different gameplay wise not just oh reskin it or tweak gameplay a little bit, relevance in marketing and another gets bigger like the Fall Guys to Stumble Guys comparison.
@MrMagic True but the thing that makes me question it is there is safeness of GTA/COD/Sports. Safe games. Games that are successful but appear on platforms forever until unable to and people upgrade in the case for GTA because it's not a cross thing it's 'buy it again' business model for the PS5 version, may be profile crossover but isn't a PS5 upgrade for free, & COD content I guess is appealing to people in the right ways/don't care that others don't of themes, gameplay content, what average people think is cool/don't think at all. Even if others wait for GTA6/maybe jump in on/off but have other games to play then most average people treating a game as thing to pass the time.
Also nostalgia for the same game/brand but remastered then old console buying.
I mean is old COD that different then current? I guess in some aspects not just oh I remember playing old COD simple brand nostalgia way.
Like obviously many of us growing up would get our games and fit into the MP or SP sort of side and many genres we maybe did or didn't branch out into or IPs, depending on the setting, characters or box art or whatever the case or if a puzzle game or others more gameplay related and less easy to sell as a cool character on the front as a story driven game I guess and just risk it or word of mouth or whatever. But if people just don't branch out far that's on them.
The Club being different then other shooters of the time as a modern/old school gallery type game, it's got a generic box art and it's very gameplay focused with barely much details to characters. But the dev said you can't put gameplay on the box & it's still pretty true today. Same as the structure of PGR 3 being very easy because in 2 it was too restrictive to fancy cars even though I think for a progression system it's fine but some people want their wish fulfillment & access to fancy cars/race cars/going fast in an arcade mode not a progression system.
It's probably why cosmetics/IRL perception of lifestyle or easy cheating, forget the journey, keep up with the Joneses is so whatever to me. I couldn't care less about skins but people do.
Collectors may & share what games are good, bad, in-between, memorable for a mechanic or story, and play other genres. If some people don't have the money sure but if they are that lazy to branch out because they didn't get some games as a kid/adult getting into gaming not just nostalgia/emotional attachment or whatever other factors as to why they stick with an IP, a game, those characters, those themes, gameplay, etc then well yeah.
I think some people are just too emotional/attached or are just simple & just treat games as just that like a toy/brief thing & move on but spend money on other things (not just because important IRL payments of course), same with a movie or sports, a thing to play with & move on from to other things.
When most people don't care for the business side & think were crazy like us hardcore do that are involved in the hobby & people just need a game to play besides their other activities not surprising.
Some hardcore are just as nostalgic, go back to old gens & then go back to modern because they had their fun or the old game didn't hold up or their memories are different, quit gaming or whatever.
Part 2:
I think Sony wants the money and the browny points for appealing to an audience but the audience makes it clear and those seeking a good new multiplayer game go well this wasn't worth it at all. Especially with the social focus in the industry then "skills" and games being worse or less appealing products over time.
As a gameplay focused person then caring about whatever themes/story/graphics I just go oh ok, moving on and go elsewhere. If the story/themes/messages are tolerable I don't mind but if they are obnoxious they aren't a factor for me that much but can be.
As particular as Forspoken is to me the gameplay was still fair. I could ignore the other elements in it. I buy for gameplay not social/messages/graphics/story. Story only if the gameplay is compelling first. To me South of Midnight isn't that amazing either but to me it seemed fine enough. To me other games are more compelling then them especially only Indies of Gori, Akimbot or Steam World Heist 2 of this year, anything else couldn't care less about that's major AAA projects. Not any AA ones I care for either really right now or remember.
Not because of audience appeal, average game trend following and consulting companies. But the studio while trying it's just not worth that much a risk compared to other games taking up players time and those that were interested wanted more to stand out. Like many MMO players WANT more to happen not always being so safe, and they just get disappointed.
I mean Destruction Allstars was a gameplay idea risk but also who in their right mind thought a vehicle game was something to appeal to teens, any idiot knew that, even the Twisted Metal type vehicular arena audience that would have CLEARLY liked to have another one not a teen audience with no experience or interest in that type of thing, Concord is just a too safe of a game risk it seems besides it's other factors.
I get audiences are a challenge to convince but in some cases some can be dramatically different but they just approach the wrong audience for them sometimes. Or audiences have too much of the tone/other things in mind. But sometimes a Conker/Naughty Bear got out and as rare as they were have cult followings but it doesn't happen much.
That's my guess. I mean it's not like I haven't gone this had a good dramatic shake up to a series, oh they back tracked that even when it had praise (when most dramatic shakes up have backlash). It's like they wanted a safe product for development or like it got backlash in example thinking of. Some devs just annoy me that way. Why bother if any feedback means we will be safe & boring with the next product.
That MP audiences check it out and move on because if not much appeal to it or them in a number of factors.
Audience appeal and general gameplay being in or outdated, long dev time and whatever priorities they can have, hmm a balance or what they want more. Which I think companies just don't approach that well of what is 'new' or what needs to be there for a trend then setting their own trend or the audience that talks things up doesn't even play the games anyways so why bother if they TALK but don't PLAY.
Regardless of the audience saying oh we want this to be the case of singleplayer games and the company goes we want to tackle this audience and that 'this' risk then other risks and get this money for this trend I think it's just a game that people know well enough if they played it whether it's good or not and can compete or can't.
So the audience that wants a good MP gameplay experience goes eh this isn't that great. It's a waste of time & money on a company's part to do so to get social browny points and a whatever product to appeal to an audience (which makes sense for a target demographic of course to be a factor with a game yes).
But if they really don't know their audience well enough & the price entry is what it is then free as Sony wants the money then it being abandoned if they don't get cosmetics money/enough people buying & not refunding, to present quality or whatever else.
If full priced I do wonder. Splatoon 2 was something I bought cheaper but at the same time but was a great solo game, 2 audiences while hard to justify there is a reason many games that did that you still get solo audience sales not just oh MP audience moving on to another game and it flopping as the ONLY audience it's intended for. Or a separated. Still 2 projects, 2 devs & separately like Crossfire was even besides the quality it ended up as.
Not just go oh Helldivers 2 did this for this price even though completely different games & elements to appeal to audiences in them, it will be fine to do that again even though 2nd party deal then a 1st party studio MP game so more control over Concord this time.
I think it's probably the flow of the game isn't good enough to people. It needs something that bit more then just oh it's got this production value in the visuals, this combat, these maps being however they are of 'compelling' to run through, how the team aspects fit the game or the sci-fi theme is different.
A theme/setting or the safest of gameplay offering isn't enough it needs to be more for gameplay aspects.
At least to me that's how I feel about many games being too safe when competing when in the past sure those that had more of something won but at the same time they still offered compelling mechanics that make people WANT to explore these old games, it may not help companies as it's second hand but the ones people remember and want to buy people want because of what they did, not just for content creation either but because of how good they had even if rough in areas.
To me it looked like other games and nothing that stands out about it other than how it's sci-fi this game and the flow is similar enough so sure not as much a learning curve or other possibilities but it's also not exciting either.
If a story element sure but for a beta I don't know if it was even in there as they want that to be a launch thing.
Part 2: Will Fable's modern return be simplified as well? The originals had a lot going for them even besides limitations of the hardware or ideas to communicate things back then. Graphics may be what they are but systems have been getting trendy/safe and very boring over time even if yes a lot of work I understand that. It's why I keep going back to older gens is the priorities were different and the game mechanics were amazing.
Buying Alpha Protocol I get it didn't sell well/buggy but to me it was awesome & I'm not even into it these types of games.
But it's been in all Bioware games the decisions to make that change the game in certain ways (minor or major ones), they change systems from time to time which makes sense in any dev's further projects. I don't know much about Blood Magic so can't comment on it.
Too little and the game/world can seem a bit weaker or a bit focused on hero then villain or limited possibilities. Too much it can be a challenge to make but also to know what choices will matter or too overcompensating of choices.
Rock Paper Scissors or 3 types of options of Positive, Negative, Neutral, or more positive, more negative being 5-6 options to make more severe consequences. Besides just games with Rock Paper Scissors type combat approaches to them it does make me wonder. Not just the Mass Effect events carrying over and Dragon Age maybe had that but to a different extent even though Mass Effect had the same characters throughout, Dragon Age had some not in other games but maybe the reputation was carried over I don't know.
That or yes some are fun like the reporter in Mass Effect, not just oh this person over this person fits this role or that role in Inquisition or other equivalent things in other Dragon Age games and it effects other systems (then just a bond system or loyalty missions) assuming usually while Mass Effect doesn't really have that level of complexity to it but has it's own elements to it of course.
That or I guess the Fable 3 ending decisions to manage the kingdom and just buying up the houses and other things to prepare before the ending. Besides 1 & 2's choices/character decisions. To me Fable or Infamous made me go wow these in game decisions made a difference. Fable more so then more limited of Infamous but even then Infamous having choices then just a dialogue wheel or a good/bad points counter made a bigger impact even going from Second Son, backwards to Infamous 1.
But annoying citizens or doing whatever in those worlds whether Fable or GTA or other examples makes a difference.
Dragon Age and Alpha Protocol to me really pushed the decision making moments (not just because of the timing and no waiting around). Alpha Protocol especially if a boss fight after starting a level. XD
Won't deny that choices or certain expanding of the universe are a challenging thing to develop the possible outcomes (that and carry over from old games to newer ones unless a remake/remaster/port and keep them in tact enough) and the combat/dialogue/events/decisions following through enough to other parts of the game and playing out correctly, etc. than just 'dialogue' and 'hear more about this' and that's all it does.
DnD type experiences require a lot of work for an CRPG or old school one or so then just leveling or others being their own in other RPGs.
I don't care myself but it is something western RPGs have offered and done well with that JRPGs don't really unless intended to be evil in a sense playing as a demon overlord like Disgaea even though no choices or really a 'villain' I guess but still in a sense of course. But most are based on heroes and typical parties and acting like a hero not acting like a demon overlord. Or any other type of threat like how Fable Legends could have or the Zombi U multiplayer mode on Wii U did of summoning them, but that works as a gamemode kind of thing then a whole game or pushing the villain aspects.
But villainous choices does add a lot to a game and some audiences do enjoy that not just being the hero all the time. But if the game allows it.
I mean it's not like these games are being a crime/police RPG or something else that's more particular of an angle to write around and whatever morals pushed, even then those crime thrillers or police force games have back and forth moments from their points of view not choices to do such and such for either side. It's a fantasy world so it's fine whatever messages or whatever consequences the world has.
I can understand pushing 'we didn't have time for that/want to do that' but there is a point where some things in games are a bit safe of oh the hero and this and that. Some people like to play as villains and if those aspects suck well that's a bit of a loss for that audience sample size.
I mean they have Solas as the villain, that had their reasons, and has left your Inquisition party even though causing what he has prior to the Inquisition & I think in an under your nose or what he did prior way. I mean is a hero/villain moral that ridiculous in a game like this NO. XD
For development time or vision I get it but at the same time it does make players question things when some games will go yeah lets do this. I get the things EA wants, I get the things the staff want from the game but more and more it's been a will Bioware survive after this game releases. What other RPGs will push choices.
Expectations to me are gameplay high with games then visuals/other things. But tempered to be 'sure I guess it passes of compelling enough' even some simple are fun to master, games are too 'simple' or more about 'messages, visuals & other social/theme focused' & the gameplay is more done to death boring then exciting for me in some games these days depending on the genre.
So a free to play online game in a PS5 disk bundle? Uh huh. Just like Fortnite, the 1 game people get and don't buy anything else, uh huh.
I've seen enough PS4s sold to play Fortnite I'm not surprised this exists. But they are also free and online and no PS+ subscription so doesn't Sony want more money hmm? I get audiences won't but still. Trend games, some audiences are such boring people they can't possibly make other games sell well or help the business out compared to MTX or skins or other things or us players wanting other games to happen yet we get things like this.
People that enjoy it or want a different experience then their phone sure the performance difference is there, it moves units too for the companies, but most times like with any trends people want it to be part of the group/be emotionally satisfied because they have nothing better to do. Nothing more to see/think about there. Eh got better things to do then think about that or care what average people do. Whatever trends of games, whatever of lifecycle, whatever on the playground. Sigh.
Even in school I never cared to talk games that much even then it was whatever PC games people could get on there or flash games or older console games, a lot has happened in 10 years so the Fortnite then sports like transition has been interesting to hear about then just some big deal TV show/movie.
I get the Genshin appeal (as a game, characters and well why people sink), I know it's a quality game, seems more so then some free to play are, not a thing I care for, I care about gameplay before I do anime/anime games, especially no interest in gacha at all, I play along with the waifu joke, have a favourite anime character but nothing more than that.
Books/games can be 'friends' but not in a draining and blinding way gacha and other things can be that people that enjoy them too much get into.
I get pushing it in Japan or other countries that really go for these types of games and Sony's desperation but I mean once it move on of the PS5 servers if the game is still around (I assume it will because it's very popular) yeah a worthless bundle if anyone collects them.
@Haruki_NLI Agreed everyone's favourite 999000 bolts, it's not worth the Ratchet 1 or Size Matters what 4+ playthroughs if did it that way and with Otto being a pain to beat regardless.
I just grinded levels to get bolts probably what 30+ times, or could do hundreds of Clank arena runs. I'm not replaying it again.
SAC is enough with the bad skill points worse then SM let alone weapon level grinding then bolt grinding that way, or the glasses 3 hidden symbols, and the key cards for whatever eh in the treehouse.
The emojis have been good marketing I think people just go nuts but get hints, the development seems fair this time.
I'm interested, the single planet and possibilities I think will be interesting and different then the space/multiple planets approach of No Man's Sky.
With NMS I think it was oh the possibilities and they thought up too much, which makes sense it was very ambitious and some don't deliver, or some don't know how to handle it, I mean Battlefront 3 and Haven Call of the King had planet to space loading approaches and one flopped and they make Lego games forever now and the other was cancelled then reworked into Elite Squadron for PSP/DS.
Other than PSVR2 support not being as good as PSVR1 control scheme, or sometimes the updates are so buggy and bad bug/fix managing between builds it can be a bit eh at times. But each update has been interesting and their support of the game has been really cool and deserved even if some expeditions are a bit too for the streamers content delivering wise and a bit of a waste.
But with Light No Fire hopefully it's good enough. NMS has what 2 years or so. Being 2026 it ends support likely so once things balance out we will see among their team.
2016 was a different time for live services even besides free Minecraft updates (Minecraft was up to I think 1.10/1.11 then so quite a while) but it's not the same audience playing that going I'm used to baselines for a game and updates for free, or Gran Turismo 5 & 6 as well, many of those taking the quintillion planets part too seriously the same as 4K, 8K, Teraflops and other numbers, not understanding a baseline for a live service game like we do a lot more these days, some things get complicated...
(sure some things not in the final changed and sure some things get tweaked between marketing and actual builds but how many people understand that and go oh ALL OF THIS WILL BE HERE when that's never been the case with a game EVER, I've seen a few prototypes and gone that idea is awesome, but understand why they were removed due to how buggy they are, unfinished or hard to make work with the rest of the game or just a single level).
It's on a Pregnancy Test and Fridges, what else is new. I think I'd already heard about this.
The vibration motors better add to the gameplay.
Otherwise it's a cool achievement what software can do on particular hardware, if it's small enough of code and enough space on the chips it's possible and the space/buttons, rumble or gyro aim.
@Mikey856 Probably, seeing light novel generators, anything is possible of sentences and whatever to sell people on it with a sentence title then something simpler.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon is it's own weird. I swear they make strange titles on purpose to REALLY intrigue people and give way the point and avoid people really the back of the books and it probably works. Not just because of other series with lazier translations, at least when it comes to westerner translated titles compared to convincing the Japanese or whatever word play it ends up with.
@shonenjump86 I think it has a place, I've enjoyed it like junk food, I don't mind it, there is worse out there of pacing or content.
I think the hate is by people that want to relate and forget Japanese or even some westerners exist like this to a degree (besides the scenarios being messy and obviously exaggerated to a degree) and they have their oh these tropes are annoying or grow a back bone type people can't get past it.
That or people that watch narrow view of shows/new to the medium or forget oh anime is Japanese and have their western morals all the time. We get the medium is weird, we can't change it. We mostly don't want certain ones to change because we get garbage adaptations (not all) instead.
I've seen plenty of anime with just as annoying protagonists or events that are wishy washy, it's nothing new.
@deadfred77 Well he had a girlfriend but doesn't, fakes it in front of family and yes yes bad romcom tropes happen as expected it gets weird, the acting side plot for the main girl (the rental girlfriend/apartment neighbor) is good but otherwise most drama between the ex, the rental and the was rental but is actual girlfriend apparently, is just like other anime it's a mess.
Yes rental girlfriends, boyfirends and family members are all services in Japan, I think in South Korea as well. It isn't a 'service' in that way and the whole don't do it with your wife, but do it with others that offer such services (not just a AV scenario either). Because that's a weird cultural thing.
So yes a very different cultural thing to fill in gaps for people or I guess to fill in roles/gaps in their lives. The girl/boyfriend services I think are of more as a guide, the family rentals are more for people that need help with deaths/lonely if family are away kind of thing and for emotional support or other assistance.
There is barriers, so yes it's not sketchy, they can't touch them of hands, kissing or anything is very strict (even if the west will think anything is strange and always think the worst of it because they don't understand and don't care even though it has a purpose when people 'think', how many things like Black Friday or other business holidays exist, white day as a March 14th Valentines Day because that needed to exist too, oh wait, KFC Japanese Christmas wasn't a thing then is, things just catch on over time for different reasons), they aren't selling their bodies, they can't it's strict, anyone that has seen videos interviewing the staff know this then westerners that have no idea, don't care to inform and just make up ideas in their heads, they are selling their presence/guidance or just there for emotional support just not in a walking therapist way.
Comments 858
Re: Preview: Space Marine 2 Is a PS5 Blockbuster That's Worth the Hype
I'm excited. I do wonder how horde like or waves of enemies it will have like the first one or more balanced (with the way the Orcs are almost Dynasty Warriors like but not that same structure of course as the linear but fair set pieces and odd groups of Orcs make the game fairly challenging).
I can understand balance being needed before release though to just tweak the enemy AI/difficulty but otherwise I assume it may be a fair game.
Using a chainsaw sword (obviously Gears has Chainsaw attached weapons and not surprised the Warhammer inspiration/similarities), fair weapons, fair tone, co-op yes please (assuming online not split screen but even still it's still nice to have regardless of online co-op).
Some like Metroid Federation Force or Tri Force Heroes or others were solo possible but designed around multiplayer. So some can have NPC assistance or be solo designed but have co-op difficulty even in the singleplayer or just being well others that help in the fights. Or just whatever co-op missions maybe. Games can vary a lot but knowing it's singleplayer with co-op is nice. Ah just like the old days getting features that were great to have again even if modern/10+ year sequel.
The Warhammer universe I know nothing about but is deep and engaging I assume. I'm interested for sure.
Wanted a good modern shooter that isn't MP and isn't live service. Aveum was fair, Atomic Heart is probably fine but Space Marine was more what I was hoping, as if we get nothing else I'm fine on old gen but do want something of campaign good only or campaign/multiplayer offering if they need it to like older eras. Or whatever other modes that can be cool to have.
I haven't looked at footage really. Plan to play the first one as didn't get far but want to try again, and been playing many older gen shooters instead/other genres.
Re: The Order: 1886 Dev Ready at Dawn to Close After VR Stint
@Deljo I assume The Order 1876 like Heavenly Sword or others that go independent but don't have the IP as a factor for them to own themselves, are all owned by Sony they just don't care to do anything with them.
Re: The Order: 1886 Dev Ready at Dawn to Close After VR Stint
@Perturbator Would be nice for them to offer them like other PSP titles have to PS+, a remake/remaster hmm would be cool but I doubt it.
There is a reason I bought the whole series on PS3 via collections (besides 3 Remastered on PS4). It might be a while or they might never offer them really. Hard to say.
Re: The Order: 1886 Dev Ready at Dawn to Close After VR Stint
@R-Soub Would be nice to see some of the Sony J2ME cellphone games appear again. That or just play it in a J2ME emulator on PC/Android.
Ready At Dawn didn't make that phone game, was a different studio.
They made Daxter, the PSP God of War games, The Order then Deformers and Lone Echo series leading up to their end (Occulus Rift VR games).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_at_Dawn (regardless of wikipedia accuracy)
Re: The Order: 1886 Dev Ready at Dawn to Close After VR Stint
Unfortunate, Daxter (even for being in Haven city other regions uses them well the new/cut off ones to be kind of it's own thing or like Jak 1 I guess and less of the open world mission style 2 & 3 were even if the vehicles in 3 were fun),
2 God of War PSP games (assist with those ones for the PS3 collection I assume but still good games in their own right and expanded the universe well),
The Order, Deformers, then VR games. What a life.
Oh and the Okami Wii port.
Lone Echo series/universe had good games for VR though. I assume audience just wasn't there sales wise or expectations?
I thought Facebook/Meta bought them, did they get let go? Did the studio staff just give up? Yet Meta wastes money on their other projects and kill Ready At Dawn off. What a bunch of idiots.
Unfortunate. I liked Daxter and the PSP God of War games, The Order I rebought for cheap/replayed it and I got to say, It felt it boring at times (have with some shooters pacing or compelling moments) but the world is really cool, the Tesla/sci-fi olden era but quirky guns are great, just like Resistance or Bioshock kind of way, enemy encounters are fair. It's not a bad game it's just trying but still solid/sticks the landing I think. It was different from what they were used to and I think it was fair.
The story was fair, the themes were fair. I didn't mind it. It being a cinematic game did make me go eh not sure about this. As to me Uncharted I don't mind because of how it balances platforming, puzzles and third person shooting regardless of the types of movies it's inspired by. While other games Sony has pushed, the gameplay hasn't been my thing really.
The Order felt sometimes fine, sometimes boring and sometimes fun depending on what was going on.
Killzone Shadowfall even for what it did and story didn't make a lot of sense I still found it fun. Sure the touchpad was used well for the robot, the 1 required weapon did restrict things but I didn't mind it. Sure it had the Killzone 3 like tone difference to it but I didn't mind. But I wasn't oh it has to be COD set pieces like at all.
Even Knack as long as they are to me I was like huh a family friendly God of War. I'm fine with that and I enjoyed both games. Even replayed 1 on hard mode just for the sake of it. Not done so much with 2 yet.
I never have issues with length or showcasing the graphics unless it's pushed too far. I was fine with the length being short it still took me probably 6-8-10 hours and that's fine. It felt like playing Black 2006, a game with a focus on the singleplayer experience, no MP, some other additional things (trophies in The Order's case, other sub mission goals in Black).
Been playing 6-7th gen shooters campaigns that are that 3 hours for longplays players but for me 6-10 hours length and had fun with their mechanics (sure I get them cheap but doesn't change much for me) like I wanted them to.
Wasn't a tech demo to me The Order 1886, it had what 13+ chapters, felt like a fair game to me.
I don't seek RPGs for the length I do the content (mostly Tactics not turn based/action RPGs anyways these days) so other genres going yep value for money of length, graphics, story but dull gameplay, nah pass.
Re: Upcoming PS5 Games for August and September 2024
While probably some fair in here, most of these are not appealing in the slightest, without gameplay most of these sound boring/generic and not exciting titles, box art or reminds me why current gen sucks and I've gone retro is more compelling ideas in games then what these offer.
Visions of Mana is probably fair but not my thing. Cat Quest 3 seems fine......
Like sure Astro, Space Marine are the only two big ones I care about honestly.
Monster Jam is a whatever I'd get out of curiosity for cheap that's it played better rally/truck/ATV games before, the cat firefighter one is probably whatever like most generic animal family friendly games these days.
I forgot about Gori, as hadn't even seen the box art and assumed was digital only or the way the box art is presented confused me, so didn't realise. Probably the only game I ACTUALLY care about on here the others are just fine.
Epic Mickey got on Wii and it's fair, not the best thing I've played better but it does a fair job. But then again a Remaster/Remake for modern platforms.
Ok at best 2D platformers/metroidvanias. Ok story games. Funko just having whatever crossover it's supposed to be. Sky Oceans seems ok. Ok adventure games.
Images Amazon make some games even worse as they still aren't clear what the games even are. XD Nothing like really fair looking screenshots but don't even tell you what the game is visually for combat or level design/whatever of the game. The descriptions kind of help but not enough.
Planet Zoo is fine & since Zoo Tycoon on Xbox One was so dumbed down & pathetic Frontier do a great job with their games & I think always have even if Screamride was fair & different, but many flash games do a better job at what it tried to do.
Neptunia is probably a fine spinoff/entry in the series I guess.
Indies I can't even tell what most of them are & the box arts being so generic do not help me get excited. Some with environment help slightly, not enough. Characters box arts makes me go why should I care? Showing characters once you have played sure, but without having played what is supposed to make me be attracted to the games? Clothing doesn't help either.
The cosy games seem fine but boring.
The obvious other trends or fantasy games seem ok.
There is just nothing here.
Solar Crown to me is the most boring open world title racing game I've seen it's barren and pathetic. Playing the 2nd Unlimited game for context I see the personality or fair missions, not that great because to me the missions are really typical and the location looks nice but I couldn't care less where it's set I don't care about holiday destination recreations. Solar Crown looks pathetically boring.
If missions are boring and the locations or cars or a 'road trip' is the only things to care about and they are so uninteresting too these games really need more as to me I'm struggling to find them appealing at all. Circuit racers are just as boring too of generic or the common 3 events/modes/brand names and it's saddens me. Nothing trying with something different happens.
Matchbox will be a boring licensed games with very little exciting content. Like Funko just mostly going off branding. I think I've seen or heard enough about it during previews.
This gen is just so boring, too many particular trends and so many generic looking games.
Sure El Paso seems fine, sure some of the fantasy/knight games seem ok but not enough for me to tell what they are really about to be intriguing.
Re: Test Your PlayStation General Knowledge - Issue 24
I think the 4-7 range.
1.Far Cry I knew, 2.TR guessed and assumed each year. 3.Guessed dev there not a series heard of much. 4.Guessed as no interest in the series. 5.Always heard about the Vita version being a thing, like Helldivers know it's a PS3/Vita/PS4 game but nothing about it than that besides well footage of course. 6.Guessed as didn't play Ragnarok or the DLC as hate the modern entries. 2018 was so bad, beat the story and gave up, what a waste of my time the series was worth binging though.
7.Guessed but assumed as a desert, never played, never will. 8.Had to guess as never know with different publishing situations sometimes, other than an Eye Toy game never played or seen an Ape Escape game physical so it will be a while till I pick one up and play them. 9.Had to guess as never played the series or heard of the terms in it.
10.Guessed I think. Yeah I don't play major third parties as most of them don't interest me. I mean if Coded Arms/GTI Club/Love Plus and Never Dead are more my interest for Konami let alone similar niche/left behind IPs from other companies it's for a reason then their big IPs that don't and never interested me.
I'm only getting around to Splintercell and beat Conviction but own Chaos Theory/Blacklist now. I had to get into God of War as never experienced it years ago and glad I did. I'm very particular what I'm interested in an what never heard of games I want to play or games I have heard of that I actually do have interest in the gameplay to want to play them.
Some I didn't know as don't play them or care to, but still learned a few things, still didn't care.
Re: Well-Liked Action Series Darksiders Will Ride Again in New PS5 Game
Am I excited sure. But if Gunfire is making it aka Chronos, Darksiders 3, Remanent I'm not buying it. They do good ideas in their games no doubt but the soulslike format is not for me the combat/the basic puzzles of 3 was so pathetic, grinding in areas was annoying, I got to the Lust boss (3rd boss) with the awkward attacks and get to about half health and I hate it. That and the metroidvania design is worse. Prime I can understand enough but no map or just some parts being annoying to exit out of for the corridors no thanks. I am ok with a Strife game then just Genesis having both, we need to see what happens and having both his guns with War/Death was cool but seeing his side would be nice. I forget what the state of him was.
We have enough soulslikes, make something else seriously. Ah the DS3 review, what a load of garbage that was.
Souls games have the personality and tone but the combat is so action adventure/light and heavy but so boring and lacking other than wow I attack, I dodge or defend, but it's so slow and so annoying I can't hold my attention with it and don't care to roleplay with them at all and the damage/stamina and difficulty. I get the horror/dark worlds but even then eh pass.
I like each entry is different. 2 didn't do the best RPG design as some leveling gating was annoying (beating the optional level 16 recommend dungeon too on a lower level you bet I played very carefully the same as my brief highest difficulty attempt to see how I'd go) or some regions were confusing.
But the 1st two were great at the items/puzzles/interconnected world design of older Zeldas with the combat system and tone of God of War.
2 had fair RPG ideas and world and some missions or the arena/dungeons were fair, but some dungeons/goal items of get these 3 things weren't the best. But besides being rushed and well THQ dying yeah they did fair with what they had to work with for the time and the DLCs as well.
Genesis I found to be fun as while isometric to me the combat/platforming (something Dialbo games don't have) or the use of War/Strife was cool. It felt like a Darksiders but isometric and I don't mind that. There wasn't much gear sure but collecting and doing puzzles and fair combat with better than Killzone Liberation shooting with Strife and fair melee with War and abilities for each worked out well.
I've wanted a new Darksiders game and one for current gen would be great but if it's going to break the new genre each time thing or be by Gunfire and it's got soulslike design in it. It's a massive pass sorry THQ but Darksiders and Wreckfest matter and otherwise I don't care for much else of their nicher games I see in bargain bins much either.
Even Gothic is probably going to be fair, it had it's charm prior and 'tries to be more advanced' but I mean any AI comments I just ignore, no one has bothered with NPC lives that much, nor to many games even push ambitious systems anymore. SO I'll wait until I see it first.
Same with better shooter animations or a hive mind learning or losing attacks from other enemies or the player so more than a Dark Link concept. Whether a goo or a robot or whatever. I want THAT AI to be tested in a game. Won't happen though.
Re: Another Wave of Concord PS5, PC Character Trailers Has Arrived
They seem 'fine' the movesets are eh, designs are what they are. Seen the Overwatch designs and they are something.
Preferred Battleborn with it's solo levels but well online only and dead now. Sigh. I've seen it's multiplayer maps and they were ok I guess.
Re: This Could Be Your First Look at the PS5 Game from Sony's Newly Established PS Studio
Being multiple genres isn't much these days and could go either way too. Frog type games we getting a Frogger mode/Frogger map like Advanced Warfare had of the traffic? I mean Frogger had a lot of good ideas in the GBA days. I expect more than Little Kitty Big City level boring cosmetics/boring gameplay design.
Platformers really? I question that as so many games have pathetic mechanics/level design these days and boring verticality of said level design, so boring holiday destinations or fantasy worlds with boring mechanics I highly doubt they offer much mentioning that. Even Indies while I know they try their ideas and level design/missions are so generic. Banjo/Spyro levels is a high complexity I get it but even others like Glover/Space Station Silicon Valley and more are better.
Better then Biomutant with boring animal movesets to navigate the world (I like the game enough but I was disappointed how dull some things were in it even for a fair AA game, gameplay was just so boring & personality put into other places, sigh), whatever outposts and ok puzzles (gas immunity was their best feature) yet has checkpoint peeing and 4 leg sprinting, wow how animalistic of them..... and exciting you could put ANYTHING there and it wouldn't change a thing even the narration it could be any faction with different languages spoken.
Most games safe human movesets.
Fighting I mean what the combo systems? The movement being stiff or particular? The boring flat terrain and beautiful backgrounds? Or small arenas? If a fighting like mode sure but even still.
MOBAs/Life sims I mean? What do I say about MOBAs that isn't already clear and Life sims that can go either way. This could be an MMO for all I know and just happens to have world design or a business model with MOBAs/Life sims with ok world design then platforming level fun of abilities when movesets are so generic these days and fighting games whatever they take from that side of things.
It is inspiration so I shouldn't look that deep but I mean it's not like some connections aren't going to be related right? I assume they won't, whatever the staff have experienced I guess.
I mean platforming could be the building pieces used in Fornite as platforms, wow what inspiration there. XD
It looks ok from the image for this article picked but otherwise if it is still multiplayer in nature I don't even care. Foamstars and other Square published titles had the most boring gameplay and either a business model focus with FOamstars when more exciting modes I came up with in 5 minutes of the launch trailer/brief footage of people playing it or other games are just as generic of modes and movesets or level design that isn't safe and boring for combat encounters at all. Where is dynamic/moving elements not just static platforms with nothing happening to liven up their set locations. The animations or programmers make the most generic worlds or the artists maybe if they want it static then moving platforms or other aspects.
If it is MP but FAIR modes then sure I'll respect it but otherwise who really cares.
I've seen so many that go 'look at us' and to me I'm like yeah whatever visuals/artstyle yawn but your mechanics/gameplay sucks.
The trend following mindsets are too zoned in and other aspects lack personality or FUN then just the blueprint of other games so why would I pay attention when they haven't really done that great with the product to stand out, that's the problem.
Re: Mini Review: SteamWorld Heist 2 (PS5) - More Mechanical Tactical Magic
I'm excited but the price tag is high for I assume different level of production and that's clear in the screenshots but at the same time to me the exploration of the seas and islands/ports/whatever else and like this review says are weak I mean the original was a space background with only few branching optional paths so to me them expanding it and as not sure how they were going to go about it I was skeptical and still am.
I know it's not open world levels of things but still, time/tedium does matter to me.
I always found the combat to be fun, even tried the 1st one again briefly on hard or normal difficulty and it's still fun.
No quick restarts is kind of annoying though to see as a factor for this one. I can understand why they would have done this but still annoying.
The leveling I was questioning if it would get more depth or not (can go either way these days, especially with how sick and tired of skill trees at this point and how boring the stats/perks are that I avoid games with them) but seems fair I guess. The abilities to another is nice, swapping guns will still be there. Hats maybe even though didn't really care regardless as don't care for cosmetics.
Particular mission types hmm, while I like the idea, in many games whether racing or combat ones it can go either way depending on HOW particular they are though. But I've never hated challenges in games that offer them to spice up a game with more things to do or play a certain way (meaning I don't care for trophies but if they are there it's fair for them to be there, I only go for some in games depending on how useful I think it is or easy enough).
Classes can go either way though. That screenshot makes me think it's level unlocking which is fair I guess it's not an obnoxious skill tree I guess and just unlocks in a menu but still menus, why not just a mission perk unlock or found somewhere why always MENUs. Sick of it. 'We made enough of the game and don't want to alter more so a menu while are what they are to develop is more safer for us' it's just lazy and annoying, at least in AAA more so.
Weapon swapping was fine and the different dialogue/whatever differences they did have based on maybe items I think it was the additional slots and hats were cosmetics so I do forget how not as full that aspect was but it didn't bother me really, some games with too much gear/focus on gear can be just boring to me and stats become annoying for what 1-10% changes and how enemies/party members are is so annoying of their differences.
Re: It Doesn't Sound Like Braid: Anniversary Edition Quite Set the World on Fire
Didn't know it was 360 exclusive in 2008. I think it's fair for it to reach a wider audience on more platforms and modern platforms but there is a lot of Indies so yeah the competition (kind of like with Switch early on many getting to play Fast Racing/Shovel Knight and more made for a lot to go for besides Breath of the Wild). If the next consoles maybe but that's a while away besides Switch 2.
I think the game was fair, Crush was on PSP before Super Paper Mario had the same mechanic, yet who even knows what Crush is PSP or 3DS version (remaster I think it was as new art, some other tweaks, exactly Mario is remembered more even if the RPG sub series and Crush on 3DS was Sega published too).
I think it probably hold up well, I never played the original, I know that others go the original when it released on modern platforms though as family member played it and anniversary edition wasn't a thing yet and it was on PS4/5, so an anniversary edition besides visuals/tweaks/content or whatever and for the new consoles too I assume yeah not too sure about that. It depends if people want a remaster/definitive edition or something else whatever Anniversary edition offers.
I think he makes great games, the GDC talks were good, I have seen stream clips and I get what he is going for and how some people miss the point, or even if I disagree I still see his points and are valid ones, even if not played Braid but did the Witness during the Play At Home for free and it's good. I think all developers have their vocal responses for fair reasons and the unfortunate state of the industry, experiences with the industry/development/audiences, etc, some people go oh person shouting at the world but at the same time it is valid, just because people don't want to listen their points compared from somewhere and based on many factors. I don't think shouting is funny it isn't comedy, but when valid points are made from their perspective I get it.
I got Limbo + Inside combo physical (then digital which gets them more money but I buy physical as prefer it) and it's great value I think Playdead's past titles while like a Daikatana and Doom, some staff splitting and how Summerville I think it was, some games just don't turn out a certain way.
I mean I hate the way the industry is in a gameplay sense yet we get people jumping on visuals, we get boringt themed games with shooters in the SWAT/military corner forced that way, platformers by Indies are too underdeveloped currently, racing games are just as safe and boring with milking brands/licenses no matter the motorsport we get boring mechanics or 1 to 2 devs if lucky pull out a good mechanic but most are safe and boring.
So audiences wanting visuals, what looks cool of set pieces which take a while to work around and are subjective on if impactful enough (so feeling then how well constructed/ambitiously cool it is), oh this and that wants when games change all the time.
I think SW Outlaws needs a better reputation system with it connecting to more of the game but it's going to release soon so I doubt it will get that change, I doubt the staff cared/maybe they didn't have time, didn't think about it or weren't skilled enough, anything is possible, nor do I care really, the rest is there and works.
It isn't my type of game but I still care enough for what is offered in the product, same with Foamstars with my mode ideas and a game I didn't play there either.
Re: Random: PS3 Is Now the Only Console from Its Era with a Functional Store
The thing I question the most isn't the servers, licenses for games (besides those delisted already, even though I bought WRC 4 on VIta when its' clearly outdated, probably are MotoGP games as well or any others with music or even if none of that licensing just the trademark or other factors anymore) as well that's valid by the companies, but the customers. That & store is slow yes.
If most care about major games, have or haven't bought up the PS1/2/PSP or even PSP Minis, or Indies, why would people care? They don't want ALL games so why complain? I get those that do still actively use these platforms, myself included but I mean ask any Wii U owner if they played the many PSP Minis ported to it? You'll get probably no body to maybe rare ones like myself that did buy them. Sure people talk up Affordable Space Adventures, but who does Rush rather than Toki Tori? Or Edge the expanded mobile version on Wii U then the PSP Minis release. Exactly.
I'm buying up many 6-7th gen shooters physical, I haven't checked PS3 as my wifi chip sucks for the controllers and the console. I have another PS3 but no interest in accessing the PS3 store, but do the Vita store on occasion. PS3/360/Wii were the last of experimental titles by some companies & direction, less IPs then we see today. Even for shooters alone, 1-3 entries then ended, some back compat on Xbox, some not. I'm buying them for curiosity/mechanic interest, same with platformers, racing, puzzle, hack n slashes, etc.
Valkyrie Store Plugin was a sign, that's been blocked but maybe still accessible to Sony it's just they don't want players to which is a bit dodgey if for PS+ or others/how inferior looking can be or to make us move on to the next platform. Like Nintendo did prices or delisting of Wii U games when Switch versions came out for Skyward Sword/Pikmin 3. Dodgey.
I get money and people aging or responsibilities, other titles as a priority or whatever the case a customer can't do anything about, it happens with life getting in the way or other titles or other factors and not able to afford them all.
But I mean what percentage of people cared like collectors did for Captain U or Umbra on Wii U? In the 360's case I didn't hear about some games till this year. So I totally get games we never heard of/then came across later, before/after store closure.
No one really has heard of those end of eshop period release games or cares & that furthers my point. XD It's why I bought Captain U. Umbra I couldn't as was USA eshop only but still a horror game that was in the news for balance board support but had to cut it, sigh, like Wii Vitality sensor being cancelled possiblities.
360 same thing, most bought up the digital versions of big games, DLC/themes & more sure I totally get, but games wise unless it's the VC/XBLA games most people don't care.
Getting them while we can is one thing, caring at all about them is another & narrow view of interest in titles unless a collector/nostalgic/hearing about something & getting it then oops store is down it's unfortunate but did have time, "to a degree" to get them over other titles, with/without discounts as annoying as that is & glad Capcom did for 3DS/Microsoft for 360, will Sony who knows?
Re: Preview: Star Wars Outlaws Thrives in Its Rewarding Open World
I think the open world lacks. The reputation is very not related to planet destruction of trees or bothering traders on routes, the lacking not just a shooting but I mean ramming into them or player detection of them to annoy them. WHY? Very basic reputation towards dialogue. Maybe shooting some but otherwise not that expanded as could be. Online required, pass. Don't care editions/social issues. I focus on gameplay.
Space seems ok but just debris, enemies and a few objects, no space quests or other things? I get planets are the focus but still. Icons need VALUE not just repetitive.
If quests are dialogue & same boring attack, collect, RPG type ones then pass. Sigh. Not all have to be a minigame but to me those are more memorable (Spyro, Second Son, Sunset Overdrive mix of), playing them. Not only snore dialogue & snore interactivity.
If just outposts/structures, with not a lot in the spaces between the core areas of cities or outposts then that will be sad.
It depends what they want to fill the world with. I know they can do it but hard to tell with select footage of course.
The reputation for things isn't a charisma points or otherwise so for dialogue or shop discounts sure but the lack of other detection is not NEED but is disappointing as it would heighten the game but yes it would take longer but I mean there is a reason people praise Rockstar (whether Red Dead lasso or others, Minecraft Redstone updated always, cauldron in Nether doesn't disappear, can jump in to remove fire/fill glass bottles, yet a bucket in the game will make it disappear, how cool/useful).
I don't need EVERY possibility in games but it's nice when some Devs do, not just seat/drink. Not core things.
While Skyrim's intro is what it is, seeing a video where a non-gamer went I'll wait this out, yeah.... that doesn't work, no attacking the player, no forcing them besides text/dialogue probably, not 'you need to run' via actually forcing the player, yeah immersion broken, but by that point for sure of a scripted 'follow this how we intend it' scene.
Infamous' good/bad system waiting or acting on it moments not Second Son good/bad points to grind. The world looks fine, the Far Cry like animal aggression dynamic elements seems fair like Far Cry does it. The Storm Troopers going hold on there until you respond was good. The platforming is action adventure basic but that's not a bad thing it does what it needs to for environments. The grapple momentum is good.
The more powerful but throwing away weapons is eh. But the reload minigame from Gears is where for overheating weapons YAY! No idea if Battlefront used it I don't remember but Gears has for years and it was always great even with Impulse triggers.
Looks good. Don't care for water realism. Other priorities were focus of course.
I think the horse bedding minigame is a bit eh why not Holo play it then pay & wait. Or do further bedding type stuff but just pay & watch, wow how authentic yet not that exciting. Even a slot machine could offer hacks/other things to be more engaging then pay & watch.
Has fair core but the reputation system seems weak.
I don't expect Alpha Protocol dialogue to be very fight a boss or play the level as differences but I mean that game as buggy as it was had more compelling decisions to me than most safe scripted outcomes in games today.
Dynamic things exist like the storm trooper or Far Cry animal logic but others don't and it makes me go why should I care/be bored.
Re: Killzone: Liberation (PSP) - Top-Down Shooter's a Bit of a Slog
@Perturbator They could if they wanted to put Killzone 1 from PS2 on there then the HD remaster or 2 & 3 and Mercenary won't get on there. That and well streaming PS3 just works for them still.
Re: Killzone: Liberation (PSP) - Top-Down Shooter's a Bit of a Slog
Nearly 100%ed other than the Ch5 on hard and maybe a few others.
It's awkward at first but you get used to it. Padded out what do you mean? Did we play the same game? You say it's repetitive yet the parts that mix things up you critique. It is 'padding' yes in more content but you say it's repetitive so what do you ACTUALLY want? You want to breeze through a handheld title? Forget it's a 'focused' not all Ratchet a bunch of devs making whatever minigames & somehow have a flow to it? Killzone does what it does/always did.
Challenges are a breath of fresh air for quick bite size. Main missions are way harder & if die like will in Killzone & Resistance have their challenging parts of AI/level design & damage to enemies.
Environments are varied enough. It's also cover based, like intended.
Metal Gear on PSP to me controls like garbage but has the depth/key factors of the series, a stealth game more in depth then Splitercell Conviction on PS3/360 does, let alone SWAT Target Liberty on PSP where I'd seen the mirror under the door in both games.
So why the comparison of themes & content to Liberation? This person either forgets how Killzone is, haven't played the series or is missing something. Killzone was never a gameplay wild game series. A looker yes but it doesn't need to be wowing people on PSP. Neither did Arctic Edge for MotorStorm. The jetpacks/shop and few things in Liberation/3/Mercenary even. Heavy character feel is spot on too.
Brown is incorrect to con it for, it was common for the time/tone & the whole series colour pallet, I don't like brown/grey/white either but if were going to con in a picky sense makes sense to properly judge it.
Repetitive I mean play any Killzone game there is limits to what you do in them or mechanics/tweaks, or ANY shooter with a focused game design not a platformer, it feels like a Killzone game, it does a fair story. It's on PSP. Did we play the same game with the right mindset as I did.
The DLC Ch 5 is free now but not bundled with this version of PS+ Deluxe/Premium? I don't know for sure. For PSP it's free now to import. Ch 5 is recommended to join up with Killzone 2's story too Ch 4 doesn't connect to Killzone 2.
The jet pack, and a few others do mix things up. Sounds like a Killzone game. I've played all Killzone games now & plenty of 6th/7th gen shooters, Liberation fits right in. But when people focus on current gen too much they miss a bit of details from the past how different they were/hold up.
Mercenary is the most different story/mechanic wise in the series besides 3. So if to judge 1 and 2 or Liberation is just stupid for reviewers to do. Would they call Ratchet oh too complex/too many puzzles/and stuff no one wants but oh they experimented too much.
The challenges are well designed upon beating each chapter. The structure works, cinematic moments yeah of course you would say that. Typical. I think the weapons are good enough for what they tried to offer. Enough of each weapon type.
Targeting I do agree on that, it takes getting used to but still needed fixing. I think other isometric games of the time probably do it better. Even Darksiders Genesis does it better in the modern era.
Glad they didn't con it for not being cough an FPS. It works with the hardware, the staff did so & wanted to do something different. I'm all for it being what it was. Better then the repetitive cinematic trash we get these days & have to ask for Astro among the repetitive current gen IPs.
Re: Squint and You Might See Concept Art for Bluepoint's Exclusive PS5 IP
If they think the way the market is going sure. Most likely they will though then what they niche think will work not just because of being bought by Sony either I think they have a goal in mind and will compare to others as many do then making something ambitious, or stand out they all want something movie related or particular of other games, then original and proving it like Indie have to of an audience and us dedicated look around and help Indies out.
With the money they have and Sony security anything is possible but there is a reason we have Astro and Media Molecule, and the rest are what they are of IPs in their corners.
I mean their first IP to now remasters/remakes to now, anything is possible from them and whatever that staff is like now then years ago. Who is working there now.
Whatever Sony thinks works too.
The footage/speculation is fair but I'm waiting as I don't think I'll be impressed either way, I haven't been since 2017, I haven't since 2013+ of these two gens the state of games, the game design, fun factor, genres being safe, boring, brands or whatever other trends or whatever else going on, but if it works for some audiences good for them. Good for the studio to get to make an original IP again too.
I have no interest in Splitterhead, too scary for me but I think it will be excellent and the mechanics/presentation/trailer looked great and is a return from Siren prior.
Re: Aim Your Blaster with the PS5 Controller's Gyro in Star Wars Outlaws
@somnambulance Yeah the motion in Skyward Sword isn't great. I got used to it but could tell how not great it was so can understand that.
The tracking, the sword swings, flow of the game and more for sure.
Yeah like a bad smell always a fair anology.
Nah I get that, it fits a certain audience and that's fine, not everything is for everybody.
Or even in VR just make it controller support then Move or Dualshock/Dualsense motion. Just regular controls is enough.
But having TVs as the main experience or a handheld by all means.
Options matter and should be the intended experience.
Whether it's up to particular button mapping/mechanics that's it's own topic and yeah many are similar to other games these days but sometimes games can be wild, whether older games cameras, abilities/button mapping or an Indie do that.
Re: Sony's Going to Make Damn Sure You Pay Attention to Astro Bot on PS5
While fair I do think heavy marketing for it isn't ideal but they have to some how I guess. Also the booths seem cool. Thing is that marketing wouldn't get me to pick up the game or try it even if still would buy a platformer because why not it's a good game. Too many eyes judging, no thank you.
They should know how big of an audience we are open to this game not over market it and go 'well you wanted it'.
Like they should know better they have the data on how big an audience between other similar to Astro of platformers or other types of games they may not have a good enough amount as it differs and they don't have all of us tracked for the types that would buy it or others. I know they don't do THAT deep of research or paying attention, only few would and they aren't likely to.
They may use data but if they can understand the feel or motives of a customer then they know for sure how sizeable we are not just oh size and that's it. Whether Astro's Playroom, whether the PSVR stuff, whether Playroom Camera app on PS4, whether other games comparable of audience appeal to Astro on particular angles. But will they do that, NO. Would I probably not but if I wanted to I'd pay attention enough to the factors on a certain level of that just encase.
But on a general sense they should know for the thousands/early millions of us vocal or not on social media who will buy it and not to over do it and be stupid about marketing it/wasting so much money on marketing besides it's development cost or physical release or other factors.
They know small amounts of money count, they know were a sizeable audience for platformers, colourful games, ambitious games then the mostly other ones we see coming out from them to make most of their audience money besides the PS store and third parties and so on.
Or else they are just as blind and stupid as I can always expect they will be then blame the audience when it's their way of handling things and to balance it out and understand what to ACTUALLY pay attention to of factors. If I can think this up, they should know it's the case for the business instead of blaming audiences and not thinking with their heads enough of any warning signs then just oh 1 million sales hmm not good enough, yeah yeah.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 539
Beat both Splintercell Conviction (did both endings) and Battlefield 3, in each weekend day so that was a fair experience. I usually don't care much what I play and just chip away at a few different games but those days I beat them both campaigns.
Re: Poll: Are You Sick of Soulslike Games?
Part 2:
There is a reason I hated the way DMC 5's V or Bayonetta 3 plays because the two balancing of characters is so bad. Bayonetta Origins and Astral Chain balance it better. So Astral Chain to Bayonetta 3 to me was the most what were they thinking and in V's case for DMC 5 the NPC like waiting for actions to happen was just horrible. I'll get back to the game at some point but it put me off the game as I think V's character is a great idea for gameplay, just executed so badly.
I prefer a Bayo, old God of War, DMC, Knack, Darksiders 1 & 2, Conan, Beowulf, Dante's Inferno, etc. Ninja Gaiden 2 is hard but also requires more skill in the genre, I'm fine with that. Z is fair. 3 not played much of. But I'll take a Gori or AKimbot even as inspired by Jak/Ratchet with fair tones then others. I think there is appeal for Conker/Naughty Bear yet those won't sell with the mixed cartoony/mature tone either.
I get tactics games for my RPGs for strategy, stats, geo panels, third person shooter whatever combo of pacing for things, I mean there is a reason I get picky with tactics RPGs is pacing for grinding or what mechanics they have, having just whatever Darksidesr 3 tried to do to be like the others but more dull in it's souls or metroidvania way of changing itself I just found it annoying,
Chronos is a fair game but even then it's combat, the aging mechanic is cool, the thing is the level design, the lack of armour justification when moving which thematically and gameplay wise made no sense, and other things in these games. I mean they want to be a soulslike so bad yet they don't have level design, combat or world balance that From does.
Soulslikes feel like how I feel about fighting games, clunky and slow paced. Fighting games feel like moving heavy action figures around, I hate the more strict and awkward movement of the characters, for 2D it makes sense per sprite/frame of animation for 2.5D or 3D, why? The sprite art makes sense in 2D with certain animations, in 3D they feel clunky and horrible.
Smash it's the case too I hate the way characters feel it's like they have to walk on a grid/tip toe almost it feels weird. It's the reason I don't buy fighting games is the movement, the arenas sizes and what to do on them.
Let alone tag or others of the 1 on 1, the locations look boring terrain wise, just wow the same flat thing to fight on but the background is different. XD
It's why I don't mind the better action adventure feeling but combos of hack n slash/character action I get the feeling I want of characters but the combos I want of combat variety to be as spam or as strategic as I want. (Hack n slash I get is Diablo but I don't play those really and I hate the term character action).
Not a character action game with boring skill trees or clunky slower paced combat.
It's like buying Doom/Quake and going great only boomer shooters to buy because of only slower paced modern shooters (not just because the settings being military/SWAT and being really boring and repetitive). Pacing can make a game.
Or lacking arcade racers and pushing brands/generic modes so why should I want to play or buy them when they are so boring and overplayed. Some people want a spectale but also something fast and fun, not slow, repetitive combat, fair world design of course in soulslikes no doubt but also particular design that isn't appealing to me to play as a character.
Re: Poll: Are You Sick of Soulslike Games?
As into the spectacle that the soulslikes don't have, the pacing/flow of combat especially kills soulslikes for me, basic puzzles, PS3/360/Wii was the turn of 'the same game of this direction and the still last of experimental design before it was only Indies or Indies with nostalgia/copy pasting too' that we are in nowadays. I can compare racing/shooters/platformers of 5-7th gen. I can't a soulslike and not just because I haven't researched them. I mean I didn't say Foamstars mode/map ideas for nothing, is because it could have been more unique yet it wasn't. Diofield is more bland than Valkyria Chronicles 4 with more compelling missions and mechanics.
Stellar Blade's combat pacing, made me not buy the game, the rest is great.
Some put fair additions to the formula no doubt but not in ways I want to play and also the trend never interested me. Playing shooters/platformers/racing of 20 years ago and the mechanics I notice them more then I do other AAA of nowadays, sure Watch Dogs/Fenix or others from Ubisoft on occassion or some other types (as not a fan of those open worlds at all but know people that play them otherwise wouldn't even notice the mechanics).
The combat/armour heaviness (not just oh 'controls' but no justification fort the character moving that way either) and tone/worlds/etc. Of From Software makes total sense from their other dungeon crawlers, horror games and more of the past or even Cookies and Cream and other different games they have made, the competitors like Lords of the Fallen of OLD went too fair and learned nothing of mistakes showing they just are stupid for a trend and issues players can have they will copy then understand why they don't work and why other entries changed things, why audiences said so as well, while others have tried and to me feel like fair ideas but not impactful or are too much wannabes for the trend and wasting their time. Can say the same for multiplayer games, some have great ideas but don't apply them well or only apply them to multiplayer.
AA soulslikes though the metroidvania, RPG or whatever I don't notice as much, like Darksiders 3/Chronos I noticed their mechanics but the others I couldn't tell you they seem like just whatever different setting and similar combat I have no interest in and all blend together gameplay wise (like Steel Rising is cool of setting but that's about it). Or another character in Code Vein. I rarely see much that exciting or impactful to the trend as I have past overly pushed genres.
the worlds and other factors or going oh it's wait ah trailer for yep, it's a soulslike, pass yeah you bet I prefer hack n slashes/character action games because of the pacing of combat, because of the effects, the level design,
because if I wanted an RPG or a soulslike in TONE or level design or basic combat and want hack n slash DEPTH of combos I'd get an action RPG if I want something differently paced, different set pieces, and other factors but I don't want action RPGs to buy regardless of their missions/journey/combat/perks and so on story, soulslikes have tried many things but it's not a trend i care for because the pacing of combat, because the level design isn't exciting to me.
Re: Polyphony Digital Is Eager to Fix Gran Turismo 7's Funniest PS5, PS4 Bug
Players have been doing that for years of working out the suspension and a few other key settings, the Escudo on Seattle to get through walls, flying at high speeds (or on Test Course) in GT3, I think overengineering the Merc 1886 cart/car as well, similar in later entries with other cars.
It's nothing new. The fact they are finding it now says a lot.
Re: No Man's Sky: Worlds Part I Responsible for Nearly 500% Increase in PS5, PS4 Players
@dark_knightmare2 I feel the controls are worse on PSVR2 then they were on PSVR1, but enjoy.
Re: No Man's Sky: Worlds Part I Responsible for Nearly 500% Increase in PS5, PS4 Players
I love how people jump on a game for a visual update and the pretty characters/gameplay of the Capcom poll is it's own audience but even still. I swear some people.
The update is fine, sure it adds more character, more terrain/sky changes, sure it's prep for Light No Fire, but to me the content updates prior were more compelling not some visual nonsense I find boring and annoying.
To me the villages and processing machines were cool, the expeditions are boring cosmetics for the effort to get. Some parts of the economy would be nice to expand on but otherwise it's fair, the tutorial is a bit annoying though, but the game content wise has expanded well enough to me as someone that's followed the updates but not played it but know those that have and got nothing to do because they breeze through things or at end game so not much to do.
But I hated Minecraft 1.7.2 the most the algorithm for biomes and all the flowers and whatever sucked and weren't compelling to me at all, I still hate it years later and tolerate it, and 1.16 Nether was ok and 1.18 was just alright.
To me function over fancy, but seeing as people like skins, pretty locations/holiday destination worlds with boring missions while I hate the outdoors it's boring and planet Earth is just repetitive trees, grass, desert, canyons, mountains and other boring colours/terrain that's really ugly to look at.
I can handle structure/technical things but most people want whatever looks cool/pretty.
I hate realism so to me seeing sandstorms, planet rings, and other whatever it's fine but too me distracting and not appealing at all. Sandstorms can have a gameplay benefit and they have in the game always but even still. It takes people that barely noticed the game, a visual update happens and people go wow. People are so stupid when it comes to seeing what games do.
Anything ambitious always never gets the respect it deserves it's why audiences kill games because they are stupid, notice characters/enemies/worlds but the gameplay to make it FUN or the loading times or other technical feats, nah. I'm not even an expert and understand the goes on and am impressed by those elements.
But people go oh the 2016 trailer. Yeah and who played Minecraft or Gran Turismo 5 & 6 with free updates or understand survival games and their structure then boring open world formulas with boring worlds, characters, missions and generic character movesets, idiots.
I miss the old multiplayer sure it didn't work well, sure it was realistic of being in space but still it was unique.
I want sandbox/survival game content, something that Minecraft sucks at these days with bad mob votes, by the audience and the developers and bad use cases of features for the mobs and the updates. The crafting table/wind of the latest was fine but even then I'm not playing the game because most of it is boring and mods got me from 1.13-1.17 but otherwise eh had more fun writing up wikis then I have playing the game.
Re: Aim Your Blaster with the PS5 Controller's Gyro in Star Wars Outlaws
@somnambulance None are mandatory they are always optional. Then again PSVR1 some are Move mandatory and I always found that to not be a good idea.
They aren't always great implementation but it varies from developer to game. I find Ubisoft used it well on the Wii in Red Steel 2 or Prince of Persia Forgotten Sands Wii version. I found they used the Wii/Wii U really well for things.
I treat gyro as if it's a finer range for smaller range or a wider camera if I don't mind it moving that far but it can be annoying when it spins around widely/or as if a third analogue stick (not even to imagine an analogue stick per handle of the N64 either just thought of now XD).
It can be awkward to use yes but I've gotten used to it the more I've played of Wii/PS3/Switch and the few PS4 games that do, same with the touchpad or dual screens to understand them and see if they were bad or not and some are no doubt.
Re: Aim Your Blaster with the PS5 Controller's Gyro in Star Wars Outlaws
@Stickleman It's been a thing since PS3/Vita, they don't really advertise it much because of the triggers/touchpad are more the focus then an older feature and during PS4 while touchpad or the mic features was used not really often either.
I recall it in what Killzone, Last of Us 2, Nier Automata did it for 2 different menus using the touchpad, most others I can't think of, but PS5 has somewhat had used it more which is great. All Gran Turismo entries since 5 (5, 6, Sports, 7) have used gyro, I think Mario Kart did it better and some arcade racers can be horrible with it, but it's fair as an option like d-pad is for those that like that over sticks for racing.
Can't say third parties really as don't remember hearing many offer support really in articles and haven't really played major third parties all too much and any I have don't support any of the Dualshock 4/Dualsense. Even then surprised Thief PS4 uses the touchpad or gyro I forget haven't started it yet but it's in the settings. But as Deux Ex supported Vita Remote Play or Wii U or a phone app not surprised Edios did for Thief.
I only came across gyro used in things like Gal Gun or Wonderful 101, not major games, I think or most people don't care for it and just play with sticks.
Ubisoft did a good job in the Wii era with it in Red Steel 2.
It's a fair option if implemented well (more so Switch ports of Doom, RE Relevations to reload with IR is 'interesting', Monster Hunter Rise with the bow is good, Splatoon, Zelda I'm more aware of) and some on PC use the gyro input for it as well and match it to a mouse in Steam Input.
But if the gyro stacks up well alongside Forbidden West (not played but know the feature exists) or others I'd say it's probably fair. Was disappointed Rift Apart didn't support it as while the Sixaxis support in Tools/Crack were odd for the ball gadget or a weapon it would have been nice to see weapon aiming alongside the triggers, oh well.
Re: Aim Your Blaster with the PS5 Controller's Gyro in Star Wars Outlaws
Ubisoft has made good use of motion in the Wii era (cough when is Red Steel 2 in VR Ubisoft), so interested to see how they go this time as on PS4 they never added it I think. Had only Japanese games that used it instead. So PS5 games having it is great FINALLY.
I had no idea Days Gone did, but seeing as they did for Uncharted Golden Abyss and that controlled well I'm impressed to see it there I didn't play it. Did Gravity Rush though.
https://www.gameaccesory.com/post/complete-list-of-ps4-games-with-gyro-controls
https://www.reddit.com/r/PS5/comments/14vvfrs/gyro_aiming_games_on_ps5_and_ps4_updated_for_2023/
https://lemmy.world/post/1297261
It being an option is nice to have for the audience that wants it and if it's implemented well.
I mean if the triggers will be supported why not the gyro.
Playing old and later shooters, primiarly PS2/3 era shooters and collecting them it's been interesting feeling the changes of sticks and aiming but gyro is still better with the wider/small range of aiming.
Splatoon 1, 2 and BOTW used it so well, Monster Hunter Rise used it well. I'm for it as an option for those that want it and to actually give the feature some use in games.
I mean no one talks Impulse Triggers on Xbox and I've only played Gears 4, 5, Forza Motorsport 5-7 and Project Cars 3 with them that's it.
I'm all for Xbox having gyro in their next controller but that's a gen away from those leaked plans and if that's even accurate.
Re: Training Modes, No Battle Pass, More Details Confirmed for Concord in Post-Beta Q&A
It's good they took on feedback (get the reputation/impression to change but that's not enough for people, it's effort to prove, not words) but if a training mode wasn't part of the plans they clearly don't understand how to make a game possible to ease players in, rushing is and pressing buttons isn't ideal for people to learn.
Vet Devs should notice problems in the distinction (not make the same they always have/bend it to a trend) or other key helpful features (not go oh MP Vet gamers will play it, uh they make up how much of your potential audience/won't pull away from other games?).
They need a good business model to survive.
Attachment/what always worked/unable to transition. I do question competition aware or dev passion. Hogwarts Legacy is a turn around of a non-open world dev studio compared to a Redfall, it says a lot how some people do design regardless of book/movie IP or open worlds as reference. Avalanche were dead/revived & made HL.
If I know that average people are into say gardening, recommend them a gardening game, or a movie/tv series they enjoy & make sure a game with easy enough controls. So why wouldn't that logic apply? Expert mentality? Not great bad communication between staff & understanding competition. They compete but don't understand the format/efforts they put into it to differ from the originators. Or Pub/Execs are the problem which yes can be the case then the devs under the bus.
Data is one thing, art & how to make it fun/compete is another. If people notice the art but not the gameplay design same as a song with it's crazy techniques but more so how it a human voice/lyrics or single/album art that's another factor. Visuals, social modernising or gameplay. I prefer gameplay/aka technique smartly designed.
Studio should look to others not as competition but as 'hmm we should do this to learn from as this benefits players understanding our game, prototyping concepts', any smart developer prototypes or draws/story boards something wouldn't they? This makes it a distinct product and so on not 'we will compete but just copy paste, enough character & other design details/game flow to not get sued' yeah I love when games do that sigh, something we gamers notice & overanalysis.
Ah Pub/Exec make that decisions, skilled or building up/translating sure but they need a balance of creative staff & zoned technical mindset staff or else we end up with repeat/dull products with eh level design/character movesets/maps/flow of a game. Or those with real mentality then 'fiction' mentality.
Or a thing called QA testers or even devs testing their game, understanding what 'fun' is and how it scales per features added/removed/tweaked per game.
If they can understand how software development works but with an art twist it isn't that hard.
It's like with a youtuber if they just copy paste that's on them, they create their own style not just I like these creators, copy and paste the games they play and humour.
They need enough to stand out, they can't always mimic someone, play the same games as skilled or have the same games they like.
They need a niche. If Sony has story driven movie games as their niche to stand out now (as well as repackage into other media for their other departments to work with) then the variety they had prior, how is a multiplayer game that sees a trend but doesn't understand how to stand out become something. oh wait. People don't research the way they SHOULD or research at all.
Re: Ubisoft Responds to Assassin's Creed Shadows Criticism, Apologises to Japanese Players
I get alternate history but the historical resource people they have is their own thing in terms of what seen/heard.
I like Resistance/Wolfenstein for being alt history.
I don't care about realism/accuracy it's why I'll take more than authenticity to cars or people or other things in games/tv shows and whatever stereotypes/archetypes or starting point.
But won't deny the game has some hmm about it.
To present Japanese culture well I assume matters not just for that audience because it's set during the periods/location it is but others and because of the competition of Ghost of Tsushima (which did a better job and Japanese players were happy about it and of course had Sony as well maybe or others to get more info about aspects of history for the island/period),
or of Japanese devs making their own games set in those periods of time and obviously know their history well enough to present worlds around it. Especially with others on the market and proper research needed before changing it for an alt history take.
Though the Japanese that do comment on things can be similar to westerners of particular details positive/negative to give a star rating/response on Amazon of a product or service even when watching youtubers that are Japanese translate some things for us overseas viewers on certain topics.
Re: Star Wars Outlaws Boasts Ubisoft's Biggest Ever Marketing Budget, Strong Launch Expected
I have no interest in the game but to me generic character aside, the gameplay idea of how they do upgrades is different (similar to old AC but at least not a typical RPG or the AC RPG format, to me Outlaws, Fenix Rising, Avatar, Watch Dogs show they have been trying different things for those games and people will still complain about the RPG format or open world or whatever visuals, sure the AI may be what it is and try to be better, sure people want whatever vibes to blow them away while I seek gameplay and 'function' over whatever fanciness they want to be WOWed by).
Sure open world (unless the missions/minigames are good and space travel is NMS good then Starfield disappointing), sure this that and the other but eh.
The internet connection sure I'm not a fan of that either. I don't care for their subscription/business models either. I don't care for most of their games at all. I'm not people that play them/want to and complain about the grind, have 100s of hours and go eh it sucks but still buy it. I don't buy them. I bought Fenix Rising when it was $4, it's a fine game. The forcing of the story is fine and some unlocks of things I'll get to but exploration is ok I guess, writing was fair, combat was ok, world was visually fair for the setting.
No one buys ambitious games, people buy whatever is more appealing to them or whatever people say is popular. Ambitious games are niche. Any safe or 'safe but good enough little details' people buy. If they did we'd have better racing games than whatever cars people are attached to, same with any part of history they are attached to of a setting for a game or other factors of cool looking (generic) characters.
The gameplay well..... I'm not going to play it/buy it. I know people that will. I care for Rayman/Prince of Persia/Mario Rabbids (on a whim did and enjoyed it), Red Steel 2, those are my Ubisoft games of choice.
Even if not the best showing of the state of the game (games are in such states they aren't masterpieces of design when in development they are well in alpha/beta for reason any body should know that, sure games can be eh on launch then day one updates, but it depends on the build shown we don't know yet how far back this build was, people need to pay attention to game development more then just wow game looks cool or whatever bandwagon they want to be on, (IF fair sure of being not fair on the lore/world and such, social issues I have no say on, but if just to be part of a bandwagon and have no brain or no understanding of games well enough even if buying games for 20+ year it's how people handle their 20+ years of gaming and what games have done over those years era to era)) or spoil set pieces for people to be WOWed at every turn. I mean why would they reveal the best parts?
Re: Concord's Free Open Beta Is Performing Abysmally on PC
I'm not in the hate live services side I'm not fussed, I get why companies make them, I'm not their audience but I still look at the news. I knew it was a MP game even before the SOP trailer, but some people didn't know that. I have no interest in it but I was still curious.
Ambitious games can be good/bad but no one cares other than a small audience. Some that are good enough are popular due to the gameplay/story telling/characters & world.
Live service or not, if OW/Valo do what people are after why would they move? Same with MMO audiences, distinct game or samey? Also MAG/Warhawk existed? It needs a training mode, it needs compelling team/mode/map design to it.
I am in the is this game distinct enough camp, same as I do for any retro games I buy or any modern singleplayer games I buy for their gameplay, or has good ideas they could implement and I don't see it with Concord the way I did Foamstars and to me if it can't balance it's cutscenes that Titanfall 1 & Anthem as story core elements or even Overwatch has it for marketing only. Why Concord?
If those proved it then that's their problem of not understanding oh a story mode in a racing game well if it's good enough people will care besides it's other modes and well compelling cars or compelling gameplay even if fake cars.
But if a multiplayer game that audience wants in and out, good modes/maps and good cosmetics, if it's not fun progression systems or other aspects of it's core why would they bother playing.
The gameplay ideas and moves aren't anything that compelling, and the other character/other factors then well it's not surprising even besides the $40 what people think about it.
I had ideas for Foamstars, I posted in any article about it my thoughts on modes/map details, I never played it, I thought it had potential but it wanted business model first priorities and deserves to die. That's their problem for making a bad multiplayer game too weak on content, being behind in the multiplayer space, wanting an entrance and by publishers that don't understand.
Same issues I had with Diofield they made a boring story driven tactics RPG besides it's more real time differences. The gameplay was repetitive. I platinumed it like i planned, but Valkyria Chronicles 4 had more depth and appeal from 2018.
Some companies just suck at gameplay and see trends but don't have the skill, insight or enough content prepped for their live service.
If an MMO player wants something new they will jump, but none do that much a dramatic shift for their game because it's too risky, but how large is that audience going that want dramatic change and the rest go eh happy with this one due to this gameplay design, their hours into the games, these themes/setting and so on or just already enough hours into it.
Like any multiplayer game if the crossovers, cosmetics, core game design and their hours into one is the case, why would they jump ship other than to cover it, and move on if it isn't for them.
The problem with multiplayer games, is the design, the business model and actually being distinct enough or people going eh I'll be into this one.
Besides the glaring problems of Concord of cosmetics/characters, progression or their movesets and the general flow of the game not being fun to people (depends on the person and the size of the audience), but is to others but we know it will flop and many people that may want to jump in want to save their money which makes sense.
Re: Test Your PlayStation General Knowledge - Issue 23
1.Obvious.
2.No idea didn't play it but guessed right still at random. May be a big game many PS players are into. I wouldn't know I didn't play it. I know someone that did, still didn't know this. Guessed right still, I'd seen other party members and assumed hmm if they are a party member then maybe.
3.Random guess thought was another. I'd seen the studios' wikipedia before but had to think about it.
4.Had to guess, assumed the largest, went 2nd largest. I don't know, I don't care for it, don't remember the news on it.
5.Need to get further through Infamous but yeah still an easy one
6.Guessed, surprised right, what a typical name easy to guess. Never heard their first name, don't remember hearing it in the games at all in any COD game they feature in.
7.Guessed wrong, don't care, wouldn't know any different, not a thing I'm familiar with.
8.What a guess, not surprised it's the lowest metacritic then the others.
9.Thought I'd seen it somewhere before, never played it, fair guess that was correct.
10.Haven't played Parappa in a while on PSP, and not touched on PS4. I remember the later parts but not the first one said by him. Guessed right wow.
8/10
Good mix of questions.
Re: Take a Tour of PS5's Massive ChinaJoy 2024 Booth
Cool event, cool presentation, none of those games interest me and never heard of some of them at all I had to look at them and go ah those types of audiences, gotcha.
Well wish them the best either way.
Re: Play C-Smash VRS in Pancake Mode on PS5 from 26th September
It's cool it is but eh not sure. Good on them for sales in pancake though besides the PC headsets sales. I mean to me the Dreamcast game had not great feel, it was a thing to master of course I'm just not good at the game, maybe arcade was better. I want this game to do well I think it's great but I won't not be critical either.
If the motion is in the pancake version sure, if it's stick it better be improved or else why bother unless scaling of the character moveset which devs never do, sigh, it's why movesets and feel of characters matter so much, let alone character weight being so heavy and boring in modern games to me, floaty to a degree I prefer.
For a sci-fi Squash or Breakout or whatever it's become now. Yeah the experience is cool but if it sucks to play not worth it.
Motion to me was a good benefit not just the headset and the setting of the game. Because the stick controls and not just oh it was for Dreamcast so old console and oh old bad feel, when I prefer some old physics or stick feel of many PS2 games.
When my racing physics favourites are PGR series and GT3 there is a reason for it. PGR I have no nostalgia for either to further my point. GT3 I am more familiar with but I just know my way around it's physics too. While GT5&6 the tires used were comfort and garbage in many events and the physics I hated.
Other puzzle games sure they are fine but not a big breakout type person, prefer other puzzle games instead.
Re: Only Two New PS5 Titles Infiltrated the European Top Ten for the First Half of 2024
The more people that buy games and the same ones come up the less surprising it gets of oh PS5 upgraded GTA, COD MW3 was a surprise though. Or is it because of that entry;'s warzone as Warzone 2 or whatever is still a thing separated right? But not purchases. Then again is it the latest? I forget.
Sports I mean eh not surprised whenever they appear for the year and people buy for the players/repeat the same Ultimate Team character picks.
Sure I question it in racing campaigns using cars, upgrading them and whatever but they don't have those more particular systems in the modes so it's fine I guess? The repetition isn't lost for sure on such structures.
TV shows for Fallout, Last of Us and such sure. Other MP titles, whether good or bad news on them and people still playing, or playing now. Whatever the case.
Well can't wait for Space Marine 2 not, not because it's Warhammer/a big IP but because if it isn't a military/SWAT game in multiplayer and beside Aveum or besides others. What else is there for me to buy that's a different shooter, 7th gen fantasy/sci-fi ones of course which is what I'm doing. Same with other genres, some modern on occasion the rest retro in of older big IPs and any left behind IPs with cool ideas in them and remembering what the medium did offer on the old and the modern and the bigger picture not nostalgia. I don't care for nostalgia of PS1-3 era of that game design or those IPs, many I've never heard of and having fun branching out not just because cheap or fair pricing on old games, I care for the mechanics and actual development efforts gained and lost that's what.
Re: Only Two New PS5 Titles Infiltrated the European Top Ten for the First Half of 2024
Part 2:
Some of us are collectors & do enjoy exploring random games, not many people probably do that (even with word of mouth on them/are too stupid to understand & just eat up hype, hear what is good, & don't understand games on a deeper level or their tastes to know if it's for them) because whatever is safe is more worth it to them and we end up with safe games, or other priorities for story/themes and messaging/safe characters to play as/graphics/whatever in projects today.
I'll play as a tornado or other weird character possibilities for a game and not just another human/animal/the same cars whether they have super hero powers or not. I don't care what I play as, as long as the gameplay is good.
But nostalgia for others makes more sense to me like with Metroidvanias or 2D/3D platformers rather than racing games with the same cars and safer mode offerings in the modern era when better mechanics were offered in the past and wasting their money on licenses when Wreckfest like Flatout/Burnout before it proves many of us want games even without the licenses.
Some Indies are just as a bad as AAA, nostalgia but not adding distinct game design differences just here is a successor. So we get safe Indies alongside any ambitious ones. It depends on the skills/whatever the vision was to fill in a gap or make Little Kitty Big City off of Stray/Goose game or a Hades clone type trend games with multiplayer but still similar or whatever.
We don't see much ambition, due to skilled people to branch out their ideas or just follow a trend instead but just tweak it enough as it's too risky I guess or people get too attached too easily or are too lazy to try anything different gameplay wise not just oh reskin it or tweak gameplay a little bit, relevance in marketing and another gets bigger like the Fall Guys to Stumble Guys comparison.
Re: Only Two New PS5 Titles Infiltrated the European Top Ten for the First Half of 2024
@MrMagic True but the thing that makes me question it is there is safeness of GTA/COD/Sports. Safe games. Games that are successful but appear on platforms forever until unable to and people upgrade in the case for GTA because it's not a cross thing it's 'buy it again' business model for the PS5 version, may be profile crossover but isn't a PS5 upgrade for free, & COD content I guess is appealing to people in the right ways/don't care that others don't of themes, gameplay content, what average people think is cool/don't think at all. Even if others wait for GTA6/maybe jump in on/off but have other games to play then most average people treating a game as thing to pass the time.
Also nostalgia for the same game/brand but remastered then old console buying.
I mean is old COD that different then current? I guess in some aspects not just oh I remember playing old COD simple brand nostalgia way.
Like obviously many of us growing up would get our games and fit into the MP or SP sort of side and many genres we maybe did or didn't branch out into or IPs, depending on the setting, characters or box art or whatever the case or if a puzzle game or others more gameplay related and less easy to sell as a cool character on the front as a story driven game I guess and just risk it or word of mouth or whatever. But if people just don't branch out far that's on them.
The Club being different then other shooters of the time as a modern/old school gallery type game, it's got a generic box art and it's very gameplay focused with barely much details to characters. But the dev said you can't put gameplay on the box & it's still pretty true today. Same as the structure of PGR 3 being very easy because in 2 it was too restrictive to fancy cars even though I think for a progression system it's fine but some people want their wish fulfillment & access to fancy cars/race cars/going fast in an arcade mode not a progression system.
It's probably why cosmetics/IRL perception of lifestyle or easy cheating, forget the journey, keep up with the Joneses is so whatever to me. I couldn't care less about skins but people do.
Collectors may & share what games are good, bad, in-between, memorable for a mechanic or story, and play other genres. If some people don't have the money sure but if they are that lazy to branch out because they didn't get some games as a kid/adult getting into gaming not just nostalgia/emotional attachment or whatever other factors as to why they stick with an IP, a game, those characters, those themes, gameplay, etc then well yeah.
I think some people are just too emotional/attached or are just simple & just treat games as just that like a toy/brief thing & move on but spend money on other things (not just because important IRL payments of course), same with a movie or sports, a thing to play with & move on from to other things.
When most people don't care for the business side & think were crazy like us hardcore do that are involved in the hobby & people just need a game to play besides their other activities not surprising.
Some hardcore are just as nostalgic, go back to old gens & then go back to modern because they had their fun or the old game didn't hold up or their memories are different, quit gaming or whatever.
Re: There's Already Concern Over Concord's Player Count as Open Beta Begins
Part 2:
I think Sony wants the money and the browny points for appealing to an audience but the audience makes it clear and those seeking a good new multiplayer game go well this wasn't worth it at all. Especially with the social focus in the industry then "skills" and games being worse or less appealing products over time.
As a gameplay focused person then caring about whatever themes/story/graphics I just go oh ok, moving on and go elsewhere. If the story/themes/messages are tolerable I don't mind but if they are obnoxious they aren't a factor for me that much but can be.
As particular as Forspoken is to me the gameplay was still fair. I could ignore the other elements in it. I buy for gameplay not social/messages/graphics/story. Story only if the gameplay is compelling first. To me South of Midnight isn't that amazing either but to me it seemed fine enough. To me other games are more compelling then them especially only Indies of Gori, Akimbot or Steam World Heist 2 of this year, anything else couldn't care less about that's major AAA projects. Not any AA ones I care for either really right now or remember.
Not because of audience appeal, average game trend following and consulting companies. But the studio while trying it's just not worth that much a risk compared to other games taking up players time and those that were interested wanted more to stand out. Like many MMO players WANT more to happen not always being so safe, and they just get disappointed.
I mean Destruction Allstars was a gameplay idea risk but also who in their right mind thought a vehicle game was something to appeal to teens, any idiot knew that, even the Twisted Metal type vehicular arena audience that would have CLEARLY liked to have another one not a teen audience with no experience or interest in that type of thing, Concord is just a too safe of a game risk it seems besides it's other factors.
I get audiences are a challenge to convince but in some cases some can be dramatically different but they just approach the wrong audience for them sometimes. Or audiences have too much of the tone/other things in mind. But sometimes a Conker/Naughty Bear got out and as rare as they were have cult followings but it doesn't happen much.
That's my guess. I mean it's not like I haven't gone this had a good dramatic shake up to a series, oh they back tracked that even when it had praise (when most dramatic shakes up have backlash). It's like they wanted a safe product for development or like it got backlash in example thinking of. Some devs just annoy me that way. Why bother if any feedback means we will be safe & boring with the next product.
That MP audiences check it out and move on because if not much appeal to it or them in a number of factors.
Re: There's Already Concern Over Concord's Player Count as Open Beta Begins
Audience appeal and general gameplay being in or outdated, long dev time and whatever priorities they can have, hmm a balance or what they want more. Which I think companies just don't approach that well of what is 'new' or what needs to be there for a trend then setting their own trend or the audience that talks things up doesn't even play the games anyways so why bother if they TALK but don't PLAY.
Regardless of the audience saying oh we want this to be the case of singleplayer games and the company goes we want to tackle this audience and that 'this' risk then other risks and get this money for this trend I think it's just a game that people know well enough if they played it whether it's good or not and can compete or can't.
So the audience that wants a good MP gameplay experience goes eh this isn't that great. It's a waste of time & money on a company's part to do so to get social browny points and a whatever product to appeal to an audience (which makes sense for a target demographic of course to be a factor with a game yes).
But if they really don't know their audience well enough & the price entry is what it is then free as Sony wants the money then it being abandoned if they don't get cosmetics money/enough people buying & not refunding, to present quality or whatever else.
If full priced I do wonder. Splatoon 2 was something I bought cheaper but at the same time but was a great solo game, 2 audiences while hard to justify there is a reason many games that did that you still get solo audience sales not just oh MP audience moving on to another game and it flopping as the ONLY audience it's intended for. Or a separated. Still 2 projects, 2 devs & separately like Crossfire was even besides the quality it ended up as.
Not just go oh Helldivers 2 did this for this price even though completely different games & elements to appeal to audiences in them, it will be fine to do that again even though 2nd party deal then a 1st party studio MP game so more control over Concord this time.
I think it's probably the flow of the game isn't good enough to people. It needs something that bit more then just oh it's got this production value in the visuals, this combat, these maps being however they are of 'compelling' to run through, how the team aspects fit the game or the sci-fi theme is different.
A theme/setting or the safest of gameplay offering isn't enough it needs to be more for gameplay aspects.
At least to me that's how I feel about many games being too safe when competing when in the past sure those that had more of something won but at the same time they still offered compelling mechanics that make people WANT to explore these old games, it may not help companies as it's second hand but the ones people remember and want to buy people want because of what they did, not just for content creation either but because of how good they had even if rough in areas.
To me it looked like other games and nothing that stands out about it other than how it's sci-fi this game and the flow is similar enough so sure not as much a learning curve or other possibilities but it's also not exciting either.
If a story element sure but for a beta I don't know if it was even in there as they want that to be a launch thing.
Re: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Not the 'Right Game' for 'Nasty' Blood Magic
Part 2:
Will Fable's modern return be simplified as well? The originals had a lot going for them even besides limitations of the hardware or ideas to communicate things back then. Graphics may be what they are but systems have been getting trendy/safe and very boring over time even if yes a lot of work I understand that. It's why I keep going back to older gens is the priorities were different and the game mechanics were amazing.
Buying Alpha Protocol I get it didn't sell well/buggy but to me it was awesome & I'm not even into it these types of games.
But it's been in all Bioware games the decisions to make that change the game in certain ways (minor or major ones), they change systems from time to time which makes sense in any dev's further projects. I don't know much about Blood Magic so can't comment on it.
Too little and the game/world can seem a bit weaker or a bit focused on hero then villain or limited possibilities. Too much it can be a challenge to make but also to know what choices will matter or too overcompensating of choices.
Rock Paper Scissors or 3 types of options of Positive, Negative, Neutral, or more positive, more negative being 5-6 options to make more severe consequences. Besides just games with Rock Paper Scissors type combat approaches to them it does make me wonder. Not just the Mass Effect events carrying over and Dragon Age maybe had that but to a different extent even though Mass Effect had the same characters throughout, Dragon Age had some not in other games but maybe the reputation was carried over I don't know.
That or yes some are fun like the reporter in Mass Effect, not just oh this person over this person fits this role or that role in Inquisition or other equivalent things in other Dragon Age games and it effects other systems (then just a bond system or loyalty missions) assuming usually while Mass Effect doesn't really have that level of complexity to it but has it's own elements to it of course.
That or I guess the Fable 3 ending decisions to manage the kingdom and just buying up the houses and other things to prepare before the ending. Besides 1 & 2's choices/character decisions. To me Fable or Infamous made me go wow these in game decisions made a difference. Fable more so then more limited of Infamous but even then Infamous having choices then just a dialogue wheel or a good/bad points counter made a bigger impact even going from Second Son, backwards to Infamous 1.
But annoying citizens or doing whatever in those worlds whether Fable or GTA or other examples makes a difference.
Dragon Age and Alpha Protocol to me really pushed the decision making moments (not just because of the timing and no waiting around). Alpha Protocol especially if a boss fight after starting a level. XD
Re: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Not the 'Right Game' for 'Nasty' Blood Magic
Won't deny that choices or certain expanding of the universe are a challenging thing to develop the possible outcomes (that and carry over from old games to newer ones unless a remake/remaster/port and keep them in tact enough) and the combat/dialogue/events/decisions following through enough to other parts of the game and playing out correctly, etc. than just 'dialogue' and 'hear more about this' and that's all it does.
DnD type experiences require a lot of work for an CRPG or old school one or so then just leveling or others being their own in other RPGs.
I don't care myself but it is something western RPGs have offered and done well with that JRPGs don't really unless intended to be evil in a sense playing as a demon overlord like Disgaea even though no choices or really a 'villain' I guess but still in a sense of course. But most are based on heroes and typical parties and acting like a hero not acting like a demon overlord. Or any other type of threat like how Fable Legends could have or the Zombi U multiplayer mode on Wii U did of summoning them, but that works as a gamemode kind of thing then a whole game or pushing the villain aspects.
But villainous choices does add a lot to a game and some audiences do enjoy that not just being the hero all the time. But if the game allows it.
I mean it's not like these games are being a crime/police RPG or something else that's more particular of an angle to write around and whatever morals pushed, even then those crime thrillers or police force games have back and forth moments from their points of view not choices to do such and such for either side. It's a fantasy world so it's fine whatever messages or whatever consequences the world has.
I can understand pushing 'we didn't have time for that/want to do that' but there is a point where some things in games are a bit safe of oh the hero and this and that. Some people like to play as villains and if those aspects suck well that's a bit of a loss for that audience sample size.
I mean they have Solas as the villain, that had their reasons, and has left your Inquisition party even though causing what he has prior to the Inquisition & I think in an under your nose or what he did prior way. I mean is a hero/villain moral that ridiculous in a game like this NO. XD
For development time or vision I get it but at the same time it does make players question things when some games will go yeah lets do this. I get the things EA wants, I get the things the staff want from the game but more and more it's been a will Bioware survive after this game releases. What other RPGs will push choices.
Expectations to me are gameplay high with games then visuals/other things. But tempered to be 'sure I guess it passes of compelling enough' even some simple are fun to master, games are too 'simple' or more about 'messages, visuals & other social/theme focused' & the gameplay is more done to death boring then exciting for me in some games these days depending on the genre.
Re: Free-to-Play Phenomenon Genshin Impact Gets Its Own PS5 Console Bundle in Japan
@CutchuSlow Seems Sony wants to be particular with their face plates which is unfortunate some good art could be part of the console but isn't.
Re: Free-to-Play Phenomenon Genshin Impact Gets Its Own PS5 Console Bundle in Japan
So a free to play online game in a PS5 disk bundle? Uh huh. Just like Fortnite, the 1 game people get and don't buy anything else, uh huh.
I've seen enough PS4s sold to play Fortnite I'm not surprised this exists. But they are also free and online and no PS+ subscription so doesn't Sony want more money hmm? I get audiences won't but still. Trend games, some audiences are such boring people they can't possibly make other games sell well or help the business out compared to MTX or skins or other things or us players wanting other games to happen yet we get things like this.
People that enjoy it or want a different experience then their phone sure the performance difference is there, it moves units too for the companies, but most times like with any trends people want it to be part of the group/be emotionally satisfied because they have nothing better to do. Nothing more to see/think about there. Eh got better things to do then think about that or care what average people do. Whatever trends of games, whatever of lifecycle, whatever on the playground. Sigh.
Even in school I never cared to talk games that much even then it was whatever PC games people could get on there or flash games or older console games, a lot has happened in 10 years so the Fortnite then sports like transition has been interesting to hear about then just some big deal TV show/movie.
I get the Genshin appeal (as a game, characters and well why people sink), I know it's a quality game, seems more so then some free to play are, not a thing I care for, I care about gameplay before I do anime/anime games, especially no interest in gacha at all, I play along with the waifu joke, have a favourite anime character but nothing more than that.
Books/games can be 'friends' but not in a draining and blinding way gacha and other things can be that people that enjoy them too much get into.
I get pushing it in Japan or other countries that really go for these types of games and Sony's desperation but I mean once it move on of the PS5 servers if the game is still around (I assume it will because it's very popular) yeah a worthless bundle if anyone collects them.
Re: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters Says It's All About How You Use It with PS5, PS4 Platinum
@Haruki_NLI Agreed everyone's favourite 999000 bolts, it's not worth the Ratchet 1 or Size Matters what 4+ playthroughs if did it that way and with Otto being a pain to beat regardless.
I just grinded levels to get bolts probably what 30+ times, or could do hundreds of Clank arena runs. I'm not replaying it again.
SAC is enough with the bad skill points worse then SM let alone weapon level grinding then bolt grinding that way, or the glasses 3 hidden symbols, and the key cards for whatever eh in the treehouse.
Re: Random: Fans Want to Be Hyped for Whatever Hello Games Boss Sean Murray Is Doing
The emojis have been good marketing I think people just go nuts but get hints, the development seems fair this time.
I'm interested, the single planet and possibilities I think will be interesting and different then the space/multiple planets approach of No Man's Sky.
With NMS I think it was oh the possibilities and they thought up too much, which makes sense it was very ambitious and some don't deliver, or some don't know how to handle it, I mean Battlefront 3 and Haven Call of the King had planet to space loading approaches and one flopped and they make Lego games forever now and the other was cancelled then reworked into Elite Squadron for PSP/DS.
Other than PSVR2 support not being as good as PSVR1 control scheme, or sometimes the updates are so buggy and bad bug/fix managing between builds it can be a bit eh at times. But each update has been interesting and their support of the game has been really cool and deserved even if some expeditions are a bit too for the streamers content delivering wise and a bit of a waste.
But with Light No Fire hopefully it's good enough. NMS has what 2 years or so. Being 2026 it ends support likely so once things balance out we will see among their team.
2016 was a different time for live services even besides free Minecraft updates (Minecraft was up to I think 1.10/1.11 then so quite a while) but it's not the same audience playing that going I'm used to baselines for a game and updates for free, or Gran Turismo 5 & 6 as well, many of those taking the quintillion planets part too seriously the same as 4K, 8K, Teraflops and other numbers, not understanding a baseline for a live service game like we do a lot more these days, some things get complicated...
(sure some things not in the final changed and sure some things get tweaked between marketing and actual builds but how many people understand that and go oh ALL OF THIS WILL BE HERE when that's never been the case with a game EVER, I've seen a few prototypes and gone that idea is awesome, but understand why they were removed due to how buggy they are, unfinished or hard to make work with the rest of the game or just a single level).
Re: Random: We Regret to Inform You DOOM Has Been Ported to a Sex Toy
It's on a Pregnancy Test and Fridges, what else is new. I think I'd already heard about this.
The vibration motors better add to the gameplay.
Otherwise it's a cool achievement what software can do on particular hardware, if it's small enough of code and enough space on the chips it's possible and the space/buttons, rumble or gyro aim.
Re: Rent-a-Girlfriend in New PS4 Visual Novel Inspired by Popular Manga
@Mikey856 Probably, seeing light novel generators, anything is possible of sentences and whatever to sell people on it with a sentence title then something simpler.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon is it's own weird. I swear they make strange titles on purpose to REALLY intrigue people and give way the point and avoid people really the back of the books and it probably works. Not just because of other series with lazier translations, at least when it comes to westerner translated titles compared to convincing the Japanese or whatever word play it ends up with.
Re: Rent-a-Girlfriend in New PS4 Visual Novel Inspired by Popular Manga
@shonenjump86 I think it has a place, I've enjoyed it like junk food, I don't mind it, there is worse out there of pacing or content.
I think the hate is by people that want to relate and forget Japanese or even some westerners exist like this to a degree (besides the scenarios being messy and obviously exaggerated to a degree) and they have their oh these tropes are annoying or grow a back bone type people can't get past it.
That or people that watch narrow view of shows/new to the medium or forget oh anime is Japanese and have their western morals all the time. We get the medium is weird, we can't change it. We mostly don't want certain ones to change because we get garbage adaptations (not all) instead.
I've seen plenty of anime with just as annoying protagonists or events that are wishy washy, it's nothing new.
Re: Rent-a-Girlfriend in New PS4 Visual Novel Inspired by Popular Manga
@deadfred77 Well he had a girlfriend but doesn't, fakes it in front of family and yes yes bad romcom tropes happen as expected it gets weird, the acting side plot for the main girl (the rental girlfriend/apartment neighbor) is good but otherwise most drama between the ex, the rental and the was rental but is actual girlfriend apparently, is just like other anime it's a mess.
Yes rental girlfriends, boyfirends and family members are all services in Japan, I think in South Korea as well. It isn't a 'service' in that way and the whole don't do it with your wife, but do it with others that offer such services (not just a AV scenario either). Because that's a weird cultural thing.
So yes a very different cultural thing to fill in gaps for people or I guess to fill in roles/gaps in their lives. The girl/boyfriend services I think are of more as a guide, the family rentals are more for people that need help with deaths/lonely if family are away kind of thing and for emotional support or other assistance.
There is barriers, so yes it's not sketchy, they can't touch them of hands, kissing or anything is very strict (even if the west will think anything is strange and always think the worst of it because they don't understand and don't care even though it has a purpose when people 'think', how many things like Black Friday or other business holidays exist, white day as a March 14th Valentines Day because that needed to exist too, oh wait, KFC Japanese Christmas wasn't a thing then is, things just catch on over time for different reasons), they aren't selling their bodies, they can't it's strict, anyone that has seen videos interviewing the staff know this then westerners that have no idea, don't care to inform and just make up ideas in their heads, they are selling their presence/guidance or just there for emotional support just not in a walking therapist way.