Th3solution

I wonder if this is going to result in a PR mess for Sony in Korea. And right before Stellar Blade was set to become a worldwide coming out party for the Korea-Sony collaboration. Having to pull a major PlayStation console exclusive because of this sticky situation can’t sit well with Koreans.

I’d never claim to know who’s in the right here, but apparently the game is tackling a very touchy subject.

I wouldn’t say that having a magic based AAA single player shooter was the problem, it was the budgeting and projections that sound like they were way off course.

And to have a third of its budget, a full $40 million, to be “marketing and distribution” sounds like an awful lot. I’m not in the know enough to say if that’s typical, but clearly it was too much spent on this project. I don’t remember any significant marketing at all. Where did they spend that $40 million?

I’ve heard decent things about the game and I know Colin really liked it. I’m curious enough to maybe try it one day

I know the poll has only been up for half a day, but probably the most telling piece of data is that only 105 people have responded to the poll so far. For a mainstream release it feels like there isn’t much excitement. So, what I’m detecting most about this game isn’t necessarily praise or disdain, but rather apathy.

After Destruction All-Stars, I’m a little guarded about this. I know the two games aren’t anything alike, but for some reason I’m getting the same vibes

@NieR_Dark Very true about stopping at the first or second ending. The middle of the game is where it does drag a little bit, admittedly, and people jump off before they get to the most epic parts! 😄

I see Square-Enix as being one of the most diverse and experimental companies already. They release such scattershot games of varying quality and differing audiences. And they never seem to be satisfied with how their games sell.

And to be clear, I think in some ways this is admirable. I like developers and publishers to experiment and try new things, and even attempt to tap into smaller gaming spaces. For every dud like Forspoken, we get a classic like NieR Automata. For every disappointment like Valkyrie Elysium or Stranger of Paradise, we get a hit like Final Fantasy VII Remake or Dragon Quest XI. We get highly rated games that don’t particularly sell and poorly rated games that actually sell well. They dabble in online and live service (Outriders, FFXIV) and also in niche genres (Life is Strange, Just Cause).

Sometimes it seems like they just throw it all against the wall just to see what sticks, which can be pretty fun as a gamer to experience. So I hope this new direction with Kiryu doesn’t mean that all we get going forward is the cash cow of Final Fantasy and service games.

@NieR_Dark Yeah, your username and profile pic are definitely a hint. 😄

And I agree with you — there’s a special sauce to NieR Automata that transcends the setting, character design, combat, or even the story, per se. It’s special because of the way the story is told, the magnificent way the music is interlaced, and the deep philosophical undertones that keep you pondering it for days after completing it. The true ending is something that rocked my world and like you say, many little moments even before that.

So I think Stellar Blade is unlikely to quench the thirst for that kind of experience again, but it looks like it might be a fun game in its own right. And if there ends up being NieR type avant-garde experimental design and ideology, then it will definitely be a bonus.

First off, this statement is from an artist, not from anyone who drives the business aspects of the studio.

And I guess I believe him, given this statement comes from an animator at a studio that has traditionally taken forever to produce their games, including the fact we’re about to start the sixth year since their last release and still not a whisper of anything being remotely close to completion over at Bend. Obviously they have their heads down working with no regard to any external pressure to produce.

But taken from an overarching PlayStation system standpoint, I do agree that Sony first party games are unlikely to immediately drop off on quality, no matter what happens. Nevertheless, over time it would almost certainly affect what kind of projects would be greenlit by Sony, what their budget would be, how they would be monetized, and what the support system for such creativity would be like. Not saying it would definitely end up in a massive collapse of quality, but it’s a long term possibility.

There’s a narrative out there that Xbox is going to leave the hardware space and just become a software publisher, and I’m not sure that’s the immediate plans. I anticipate they will move their first party games to multiplatform after a period of time exclusivity on their own console. So maybe it’s 3 months or 6 months, maybe a year, then they port over a selection of their games. I think that gives them the best chance of keeping their own ecosystem on life support and also making some much needed revenue from game sales.

But I don’t know. We’ll see. If they do take the timed exclusivity approach, and it doesn’t pan out over the next couple years, then maybe they abort the console market for the next generation.

I’ve never used Share Screen, but it sounds like it’s going to be fairly robust.

As a guy who plays 98% solo with headphones on, the only thing here for me is the light dimming feature. That’s nice to have, I guess. Now that I can quiet the launch ‘beep’, I’ll also be suppressing the light. 😅

@lightningbolt79 Push Square staff gave Rollerdrome an 8/10 and Steelrising a 7/10 (which reads like an 8 if they’ve fixed some of the technical glitches at launch), and have given a fairly positive preview impression of Foamstars. So it’s natural they’ll call the month “good”, but the article was clear to report the reader poll felt differently. And the article title isn’t misrepresenting anything — it is blatantly generic (even with a classic play on words for one of the games in the sub-title) So, I’m not sure they’re ignoring anything. It’s pretty clearly acknowledged about the reader’s disappointment, despite it being at odds with the staff’s feelings.

I’m really surprised people think this is a poor selection. I could see myself trying all of these at some point. Granted, Foamstars would only be out of sheer curiosity, as I don’t really think it’s my cup o’ tea. But I think it’s a great PS+ game.

Steelrising and Rollerdrome are games I had my eye on but never quite pulled the trigger on purchasing. That’s the ideal type of PS+ game, in my book. I’m particularly excited to try Rollerdrome, as it looks like a great palate cleanser between larger story driven games.

Did anyone have this on their prediction list this year? I’m honestly surprised this is happening so quickly. Although, as an armchair CEO, I saw after the release of Starfield that the model didn’t look like it was going to work. That was the game that was supposed to turn this thing around for them. The bump in GamePass subscribers must have been negligible.

I do worry that PS+ might decline in its quality as a result of the weakening of GamePass.

But I’m excited that I can hopefully play Hellblade II and Indiana Jones on my PS5.

Mixed feeling on this. On one hand, I really was impressed with TLoU2 and the thought of waiting another 10 years for a third entry is depressing. On the other hand, I am ready to see what ND can do as far as a new IP.

Maybe we can get both rather quickly? A new IP in 2025 and TLoU3 in 2027…? 😅

I can dream.

I do think the tight Naught Dog narrative focus would be difficult to replicate in a open-ish Bloodborne styled setting. The pacing of a story heavy game is tough to nail down when there’s too much openness involved.

In Bloodborne, you have so much leeway in what direction or sequence that you go through the map, and it works for a cryptic or open-ended tale, but I’m not sure it works for a linear story.

I don’t think this will be well-received amongst the enthusiast crowd. There’s already a lot of grumbling about Sony, and specifically Naughty Dog, just rehashing old IP.

I guess the TLoU Part 1 approach was successful, but I think doing Uncharted 1 might be a bridge too far. I played it through the Nathan Drake collection recently and running at 60 fps it’s still plays pretty well.

I guess it needs a remake more than Horizon Zero Dawn, but I do hope if they do this that it doesn’t take Naughty Dog or Sony away from the new games in development.

Wow, that trailer is certainly stylish. Unfortunately until the last few seconds it looks like a promo for a new anime show. When the gameplay actually shows up it looks good, but could be mistaken for a completely unrelated piece.

And samurai styled action games seem to be coming in droves now. As with other genres in video gaming, there appears to be a rush to the hot popular subject matter and then we get oversaturation. I’ll keep an open mind about it though, but with Rise of the Ronin coming this year along with Black Myth Wukong, and presumably Ghost of Tsushima 2 on the horizon (or more likely “Ghost of [such-and-such place]), not to mention recent 2023 releases like Like a Dragon: Ishin, and Wo Long, we’ll see if Phantom Blade 0 can distinguish itself.

It happens with other genres too, like the deluge of Norse themed games in recent years, the rush in Souls-likes, or spike in survival horror releases all in one span (Callisto Protocol releasing on top of Dead Space Remake and RE4 Remake). Sometimes a rising tide raises all ships and there’s a general synergistic impact, but sometimes these titles cannibalize each other.

This is a travesty! Not like I was planning to get these platinums, but it still seems like a big mistake to lock PS5 players out of them.

You have my interest with Hellblade II. And maybe Indiana Jones. I don’t have much interest in everything else.

Like I said on the other thread, Starfield was the true test, I think. If that didn’t move consoles and GamePass subscriptions, then nothing will. Theres nothing bigger in the pipeline until ES6. So releasing everything on the console that actually sells copies of games makes sense.

I am very interested in playing this game. Like others have said, the first person viewpoint is a turn-off for this type of game. But I like the IP enough to keep an open mind.

I’m also very interested in the logic behind a port of this and/or Starfield. My theory: Starfield was their big shot to grow their ecosystem and sell GP subscriptions. HiFi Rush wasn’t expected to move the needle very much. Redfall wasn’t really either. But all the eggs were in the basket for Starfield. The only game that has as large a mass appeal would be Elder Scrolls, and maybe this Indiana Jones game. But if Starfield couldn’t sell subscriptions, presumably nothing can. So they have to recoup money somehow. They can’t keep making big AAA expensive games and not make money. And they’ve trained their players to not buy games. So it makes sense this might be a move of desperation to sell on PlayStation

@Ravix I have been wondering this too — the promise of smaller install sizes has now evaporated with the increased complexity and breadth of these games. I supposed there’s no theoretical limit other than the size of the SSD. Cloud gaming will solve this eventually, but I’m surprised at how quickly game sizes have skyrocketed.

I would suspect the success of the Steam Deck and early success of the PS Portal make this a plausible rumor. Sony likely has many projects in development that never see the light of day, but whatever little team that has been working on a Vita 2 is now suddenly getting some added funding.

@AverageGamer Oh, that’s really interesting. I didn’t know there was an Overdose trailer recently, so that makes total sense that could have expedited this announcement just for the sake of optics between Sony and Kojima Studios.

Kojima is like the belle of the ball with all the suitors that want to be seen with and so he’s playing both sides to keep everyone happy.

I’m seeing the Ghost of Tsushima comparisons and of course Nioh. Also some Assassin’s Creed / Ubisoft open world staples. I like the look of the traversal. Although I loved GoT, I’m not all that enamored with the setting, but hopefully the fact that this takes place in a more modern backdrop and adds firearms that maybe it will feel unique enough. I do hope there is English dubs though. I know purists will say playing in the native language is the best way to experience this style of game, but I prefer dubs, if possible.

I’m really interested, but not quite committed yet. It’s a little too on-the-nose with the NieR Automata inspiration. Enemies look more varied than NieR with the monsters and such, but part of what made it one of my favorite games from last gen was the mind blowing narrative, so hopefully Stellar Blade can deliver there.

The timeline is what stumps me. Kojima tends to hold things close to the chest and relishes in the big teasers and cryptic rumors. To come out with an announcement of this game so soon makes me wonder why announce it now? Especially since DS2 is on the horizon for next year?

Of course Overdose was teased a couple years ago and I don’t think there’s been much info about that for quite some time now.

So is this new tactical espionage game going to be a PS6 game? I don’t know but I’m leaning toward it being a late PS5 game, maybe cross gen. This console generation is likely to be a little longer than average because of the protracted rollout during the pandemic. We don’t even have PS5 Pro yet.

I think the innovative part of this next game is going to be some kind of multimedia cross-over. There’s specific reference to a “movie”, and so expect a Sony Pictures production that somehow integrates with the game. I’m not sure that’s what I want personally, but it’s Kojima, so I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt

@AdamNovice Yeah, I think that’s the way we have to look at things. And you could even add Foamstars.
Sony has put a lot of effort into second party projects and third party console exclusives. As gamers we need to just consider those as “first party” for now. Some of the studios may end up acquired into the first party if their games go well, like they did with Bluepoint and Housemarque.

When taken in that context, PlayStation is set to have an incredible year, even without anything from first party

I want whatever it is Kojima is taking that helps him have this level of productivity. Does the guy ever sleep? 😅

Two multiplayer shooters back to back and then three open world third person action games in close succession.

It would have been nice to spread these out.

Really great month, actually. Was planning to eventually get Rollerdrome and was semi-curious about Steelrising. Foamstars is probably a pass, but the positive buzz has me curious enough to keep it in mind.

I need to get this eventually. My 2020’s brain just couldn’t get ahold of 2005 gamplay and control design, so I never was able to complete the original version when I tried a couple years ago.

Edit: so after posting my thoughts above, I decided to go ahead and follow the link to the cutscene in question, since I’m fairly certain I’m not interested in playing this, at least during the launch period. Maybe when it drops on PS+

But the Batman scene is… okay, I guess. It is unfortunate that the iconic Conroy portrayal ends so unceremoniously. His voice performance in the scene is great, as per his usual. The Harley Quinn voice actress is gratingly awful, so it makes for a disjointed scene anyways. The writing also seems bad, in my personal opinion. But I think it’s just the slapstick nature of Suicide Squad. It’s just a hard thing to pull off comedy in the midst of tragedy and this just… doesn’t really do it well. Again, all my limited opinion of one cutscene.

Is it disrespectful to Conroy’s epic and iconic series of performances as one of the all-time most beloved characters in fiction? I don’t know. I wouldn’t say disrespectful, just unfortunately mediocre. The lines (spoiler tagged in case people don’t want to have it spoiled) ”Batman: “Are you done with your bad stand-up routine” Harley: “Almost. But you always gotta end with your best joke.” are just so Marvel wannabe and although Conroy knew this was how his character was going to end, I just wish his final moments in the role didn’t involve such poorly executed Harley Quinn melodrama.

I guess there’s two issues going on — one that the game would kill beloved hero characters, and the other that it so happens to correlate with the voice actor’s actual death.

Having the Suicide Squad kill the Justice League characters like Batman is fine, it being fiction and all. It’s probably not for me because I haven’t been the biggest fan of the Suicide Squad anyways. I don’t mind an anti-hero narrative, but there’s nothing relatable or entertaining for me in the SS franchise. I was one of the few who didn’t like the last movie. And the HQ Birds of Prey movie was so painful to watch it made the dumb Suicide Squad movie seem like a cinematic masterpiece in comparison. So, my interest in the franchise suffered greatly from those recent movies.

But as for the second issue, it does seem a little tricky on how best to treat the unfortunate coincidence that Conroy died shortly after this performance. We’ve seen times when video games have tried to be conscientious to real life dramatic events (like that Motorstorm game for example) and I think it’s a legitimate concern. Not having played this game (and likely not going to) I can’t pass judgment, but I think it’s a no-win scenario for Rocksteady. Is there a respectful way to have altered the murder scene? Does it really matter in the long run? I don’t know. But the timing is poor. I think, depending on the scene, it could be a legitimate complaint, but one that will probably calm down in the years to come when it’s not ‘too soon’ like it is now.

Like some have said — even just a deeper look at one or two of these games would make it all worthwhile for me.

I guess I’ve been conditioned by Sony to have low expectations.

2024 was supposed to be the year I bought fewer new games. Ah, well.

@Pepsiman_100 Yes, I agree. It was a really great idea. The art design was so creative. But the game just didn’t play very well and the backdrop of the sketchbook could have been implemented better.

@SonOfClement Ah, ok. Interesting.

Although I prefer having the option, I often end up playing in fidelity mode anyways. For me it’s not a deal breaker.

And I suspect the vast majority of players (not just the enthusiast crowd) will be fine with 30fps. I think there was data from somewhere that said when given the option, most gamers play on fidelity/graphics mode, rather than performance mode.

Gotham Knights still went on to be somewhat successful, despite the 30 fps controversy. I know Dragon’s Dogma doesn’t have the clout that DC comics has, but I don’t necessarily think the lack of 60 fps is a kiss of death for the game.

Kind of reminds me of Drawn to Death which was a complete disaster and a fumble of an interesting idea. 😅 I do like experimental projects like this though.

A lot of players may not have even realized they were playing the PlayStation exclusive Haunted Hogsmeade content, as it pops up on the map randomly toward the end of the game, and is titled “Minding Your Own Business”, I believe. It actually is one of the best side quests in the whole game. I’m glad the other platforms will have access to it now, because it really is some wonderful bonus content.

Constant PR damage control going on with this game. 😅

But I do like to hear this. Live Service games which require huge time commitment is a big turn-off for me. I’m glad Rocksteady seems to have read the room on this game.

Still… I haven’t really been thrilled with what I’ve seen so far with the gameplay, so I’m not planning to buy this right away

Great article, Sammy. I enjoy reading about and seeing photos of your escapades.

As for the subject, I feel similarly — I’m increasingly going digital, but not necessarily by choice. The industry is pushing us that way and so despite my efforts to stay physical, most of my library is digital now. Nevertheless, I try to buy discs when possible. So for my most recent purchases, I had to buy Baldur’s Gate 3 digitally because the industry only gave me that option, but I got Spider-Man 2, Jedi Survivor, and Final Fantasy XVI on disc.

There are many times that I go to stores searching for specific games and I can’t find specific games that I want. It used to be a given that one could find major releases on disc at the local GameStop or Best Buy, and often find multiple second-hand copies of major releases. But nowadays, even finding a game like God of War Ragnarok on disc is a needle in a haystack.

One of the main things that has promoted the digital ecosystem is the subscription services. Probably half of what I play now is from PS+, so those games are obviously going to be digital.

This is definitely outside the norm lately. Every day is a new article about people losing their jobs, being kicked out, or resigning. I know people will say that “Layoffs and departures are all part of the business. It’s not a big deal. The internet is catastrophizing it…” But the level and amount of layoffs, executive firings and resignations, and just general unrest in the industry is concerning.

I’m glad you highlighted the option to order a twin pack which has Remake Intergrade included. You get it for free, but you have to select the correct version at checkout.

I’m trying to think of the last open world game I played without a fast travel system… I guess it was probably Dark Souls. Even then there’s a rudimentary fast travel that eventually unlocks, but exploring the world over and over is part of the game’s core design, with unlocking of shortcuts. I remember wishing that I had earlier access to a fast travel network, but I also appreciate the developers intent with forcing me to retread areas and level up.

It’s been a long time since I played Dragon’s Dogma, but I don’t remember being annoyed at the time. The map was fairly small by today’s standards though. Nevertheless, I like Itsuno’s confidence here by saying the game will have engaging design so we won’t miss having fast travel.

Good news is that Remedy is very deft at budgeting and usually they can develop their games for a fraction of the cost of larger studios. They’ll still do well with AW2

Chat GPT is going to write the multiplayer storyline. It’ll be awesome.

Two years since release is quite a wait, but I have to give props to the team since at least this doesn’t make it feel like the content was carved from the base game.

It is somewhat reminiscent of Code Vein, which I couldn’t quite get into. Nier Automata is one of my all-time favorites, and I really don’t think this looks like that, other than the protagonist looking vaguely like a bargain store version of 2B.

This is damning: “Quality assurance testers appear to have been the role hit hardest, with 22% of them saying they were laid off this year… Business and finance roles reported the slightest losses, at 2%.”

Ouch. Prepare for more buggy game releases going forward. Apparently QA is the most dispensable part of development. That’s what we have paying customers for.

And of course, don’t touch the business and finance guys. The very ones who have misread the market, overspent, and miscalculated the balance sheets. When they make mistakes they’re like Teflon.

Sheesh… reminds me of how Congress votes to give themselves raises and more benefits, despite them being the very people who have driven the country into shambles.