Comments 219

Re: Ex-PlayStation Exec Shawn Layden Says There's Been a 'Collapse' in Gaming Creativity

Svark

I think what he said is valid. Right now, there are no folks that understand what "fun" is at the top of the ladder. They simply want to chase any golden goose that they think is going to bring in the most money. Not what would entertain and by definition return profit to the company. There are exceptions, but I think he is right.

What Sony (and others) need is someone near the top of the ladder that understands what fun is because they play games. Like Shu Yoshida. At one time, he was closer to the top of the food chain and had more influence in getting fun games made. Then we had Jim Ryan that would not know a fun game if it hit him in the face. I still believe he was never a gamer. His mantra was $$$$ over fun for people. Now Herman H. (the father and supporter of Concord) and other "C" suite suits are following the Jim Ryan model.
Bean counters that are not creative ALWAYS chase someone else's work.
I spent years working for Hollywood studios as an executive and I saw the same thing every day. (It's like 6th Sense combined with Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's going to make a ton of money.)

Thank God for the independent marketplace. Otherwise, with the exception of AstroBot, Elden Ring, and BG3, I think the rest of the AAA space could just go away. Here is what those big games have in common.
They are fun!
Interesting that each one of these games are in the single player space, rather than Games As A Service.

Re: Beloved Co-Op Platformer It Takes Two Has Sold a Whopping 20 Million Copies

Svark

@Czar_Khastik
Although I didn't think about it when I posted, actually it seems that 1 copy of the game is enough because there is a "friends pass" feature that supposedly lets a friend download an "unlicensed" copy from PSN which he can play only as a guest of the primary buyer's session.


That is kind of true. You can invite a friend that does not have the game to your session, however, that is only good for the first level. If they would want to continue after that, they would have to purchase their own copy of the game. While I absolutely think that it is worth it as ITT is a wonderful game, I do think it is a little slimy to have folks think that they can play with anyone that does not own the complete game.

Re: Marvel Rivals' Closed Beta Is Putting Concord's Player Numbers into Perspective

Svark

@bindiana

"....But most people will know Marvel Rivals will do quite well just off the Marvel name alone."

That is true... but remember that Avengers GaaS was a complete bomb. There are just too many looter/hero shooters trying to grab a piece of the pie. If there is anything we can point to here, it is corporate greed trying to squeeze more money out of a relatively small group of players.

Re: Capcom's Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess Demo Out Now on PS5, PS4

Svark

Just finished the demo myself and Whoa... not what I expected.
It was fantastic! Went from a what is this...? to insta-buy.....
Very hard to describe (although PuppetMaster did a great job)
I never heard of this game before the I played the demo and now (Along with Shadow of the Erdtree) might be my favorite game of the year. If you have any interest at all, download the demo and see. Great game!

Re: Poll: Are You Playing Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?

Svark

@commentlife
"I am feeling the grind to beat Mohg again just to access the new content. I’m on the fence about it."

I am part of a team that is going to be outside of Mohg's Boss fight to be summoned and help folks beat him in order to get in the DLC.
Character name "Drusenia" bring me in and I'll help you stomp him.
I will be camped out there from 2PM to 7PM EST.
Other brothers are going to be there at other times.
We are looking to help you all beat him.
We are planning on doing this for the next 3 to 4 weeks to get as many people as we can into the DLC.
Look me up.

Re: $70 Games Are Just a Phase, Believes Saber Interactive CEO

Svark

@Americansamurai1
"I can only see prices going up. GTA 6 could very well be a 80+ title and would not hurt sales."

I have to agree. I think PS5 game prices will go up very soon. Just because of the inherent greed of most companies to squeeze more profit out of every single title.

Re: Upcoming PS5 Games for March and April 2024

Svark

@Dissident
"While I am excited for a few you highlighted, not giving any attention to Unicorn Overlord is a travesty. For shame!"

Absolutely agree!
Although, I am also looking forward to Dragon's Dogma 2, I know that the game I am most excited for in the next 2 months is Unicorn Overlord. The demo gave me exactly the information that I needed to make a purchase. This game is phenomenal and I can not wait to play more.

Re: Planet Zoo: Console Edition Shows Off PS5 Gameplay in Charming New Trailer

Svark

I am totally in. I am a nut for zoos in real life and my wife and I love traveling to see different ones for fun. My big concern is for the interface. Planet Coaster took a long while to be workable. If the frustration of working with a controller is over the top, I will have wasted my $$$. Going for the ultimate edition to make sure I get all the animals.

Re: Suicide Squad Already Taken Offline as Glitch Completes the Game for Early Access Players

Svark

@Broosh
"I'm still glad they're patching in offline mode after launch."

I'm not convinced that this will ever happen. They say that in order to get the sale and then, whoops, sorry we are not going to be able to do this now that the early review period has passed.
Sounds like Overwatch 2 PVE mode?
The company is desperate and trying not to go down in flames over this live service game.
Let's see how it all plays out, but I predict there will be massive layoffs at Rocksteady after this game does not meet expectations over at WB.
Too bad.
They were a talented group.

Re: Return to Oblivion in New The Elder Scrolls Online Expansion Gold Road

Svark

As a ESO player for over 3 years, I decided to move on to something else last year. Yes, it is a ton of fun. But, to really get into the game you need to purchase the Annual ESO Pass which here in the US is $130.00 annually. More if you purchase it by the month. The bottomless craft bag is a real necessity if you don't want to be dumping everything you pick up along the way. Then you have annual expansions that run $40 per year ($50 if you want the unique mount, etc.) So to really play ESO every year it costs between $170.00 to $180.00 annually. The game is good... but frankly as a veteran of the game, not "that" good. I figured that $180 U.S. can buy a heck of a lot of other games instead of ESO. So that is the road I am going down now. Last year rather than ESO I bought Baldur's Gate 3, God of War Ragnarok, and HFW complete edition. Not a bad haul of gaming for one year of ESO.
Of course your mileage may vary.....

Re: Baldur's Gate 3 on PS Plus Is Probably Never Going to Happen

Svark

@AverageGamer
"Trust me, developers are benefiting from getting their game on game pass or plus.

This guy is just able to say this cause he works for a private company, so don’t have to hit the same performance targets to please shareholders like a public company."

Ah, no...
The point that you may be missing is that independent developers lead to innovation within the industry. When the suits decide what gets developed, you get generic product that serves profit for the company heads and not the gamer. There has to be a place in the industry for innovation and the folks that run game companies are not innovators, they are profit makers at all costs. Look, I don't mind a world where Call of Duty or Madden is made to create profit every year, I get that. But if Larian was part of a Microsoft, we would miss out on what makes them unique and corporations do not understand unique. They understand push something out now, cause we need our money.

Re: Preview: Animal Crossing on PS5, PS4 Made a Reality in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Svark

I have not played all of the Yakuza games (did play Zero and then Kiwami) and enjoyed them well enough even though I never finished them. (All the Yakuza games are huge)
However my favorite was Yakuza: Like a Dragon, based on my adoration for turn based RPGs. I did finish that and have pre-ordered LAD-IW. Very excited to return to hanging with Ichiban in my home state of Hawaii. The point I would like to make is that you can jump right into the Like a Dragon series (including the Yakuza stories) without feeling you need to do them all. Yes, you would get more background, but it is not a necessity. If you are invested in wanting to try them out, I see no reason you could not just start out with Infinite Wealth if the premise intrigues you.

Re: All The Game Awards 2023 Winners

Svark

@daveofduncan
"Sea of stars 🤙🤙🤙
Well deserved! "

I agree! Frankly is was a true Indie game and really did deserve to win. Such a wonderful, wonderful game.
I hope this award helps more people to discover it.

Re: Review: PS Access Controller - An Innovative But Expensive Game Changer

Svark

As an older gamer with arthritis, I think this is a fantastic device to have. Granted I am not fully disabled, but Sony has to be thanked for all they have done to make sure no one is locked out of being able to enjoy the hobby. Most reviews I have seem state that this solution really shines when you have 2 of these controllers so having that price in mind at the start might be the best way to go.
With this, and Sony's commitment to accessibility inside of their games, (Horizon, TLOU2, Ragnarok, etc.) I have no problem recommending a PS5 to anyone that enjoys gaming no matter their specific challenges.

Re: Players Reporting PSN Account Bans in Seemingly Widespread Issue

Svark

@RBMango
"It's a running joke from the PlayStation podcast he co-hosts. Wasn't meant to be a dig. Dustin is awesome."
I agree.
I am so sorry the idiots over at Easy Allies pushed against him for imaginary reasons. I just wanted to make sure that folks were not doing that here.
It is easy to see how toxic some conversations have become at this time in America.
Real shame.

Re: Next Gigantic Baldur's Gate 3 Patch, Feature News Coming This Week

Svark

People should be thrilled that Larian is patching as much as they are doing, not looking down on that. Every time you fix something in a computer/video game, there is a chance that you introduce some other issue. I tell folks in the code class that I teach that, "Coding is like building a card tower in a closet with the lights out. A small mistake, can cause everything (or many things) to topple." The folks at Larian have made one of the most complicated, interwoven, interactive, deep, games of all time. It is truly a wonder and from a technical viewpoint an incredible piece of work. For those that don't want to jump in now, then wait for way down the road when more patches are implemented. For everyone else, dive in. This game is superb.

Re: Realms of Ruin Should be on Every PS5 Warhammer Fan's Radar

Svark

Actually IMHO, this looks incredibly generic.
I have enjoyed Warhammer 40K, but I don't know, I might look at this again down the road if the reviews are great and it ends up on sale. Maybe BG3 has just ruined me on games that don't have an incredibly high bar.
For now.... big pass....

Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Hotfix 10 Should Keep Shadowheart on Track

Svark

Yes, I am still playing.
In Act 3 now and I am still amazed at how well the game works on PS5. I'm enjoying it so much that I'm sure I will take another run at it with a new toon down the road.
Game of the Decade for me.
With Elden Ring last year and BG3 this year, I'm really excited to see what next year brings.
And...that is not to mention my backlog that has me set until a year from Christmas.