Vaako007

@Godot25 It’s not sad. Developers just need to scale back their graphics for whatever genre of game they are making. As the PS5 and XSX aren’t capable for some of these ambitious graphical titles at 4K60. Perhaps 1440k60 with up scaling should be the way. As 4K requires a lot of raw power. Perhaps next generation Sony or Microsoft will build consoles that are worth at least 1300$ with more bespoke hardware that is strong and charge more from the get go so the consoles have enough grunt for many years. Just like the PS3/X360 era.

@DennisReynolds agreed about making a powerful console at the start. It should have been 700£ or 700$ but worth 1300 or more dollars in reality. Remember when the PS3 was 600$ but cost more than 900$ to make. Considering inflation the PS3/X360 consoles were more impressive as both Sony and Microsoft made impressive bespoke machines that held up their entire generation. Reports from Microsoft about the next Xbox being the biggest leap yet. I hope the next Xbox is worth 1300$ or more and has more bespoke architecture. So it has more than enough power to make it 8 years without a pro model. Same for the next PlayStation. Hardcore console gamers are the first adopters of new hardware anyways so a high cost initially is fine if the hardware is good. Especially since there will still be a lot of development for the a previous generation which is the trend.

@MattBoothDev I only buy physical games for my consoles. And I only buy physical blu rays. A strong physical market is needed to counter these corporations whom want us all to be tied into subscription services indefinitely is their plans. As they will make more money in the long term. They can control the narrative with digital. With physical one keeps their items indefinitely assuming the console works. No chance of delisting or censorship.

Games will get more expensive since the industry hasn’t kept up with inflation. Many forgot that console gaming is a luxury hobby for families. These developers and console makers have keep the costs low despite providing a lot of value. Games provide a lot of value per hour versus dollar spent if compared to other forms of entertainment. Especially RPGs with a lot of content. So perhaps not every game has to increase in price just those that provide a lot of value. Like a GTA, Witcher, JRPG etc as they take the longest to make well.

@Tecinthebrain I don’t think the costs of games and consoles have kept up with inflation. As employees demand more compensation and games require more effort to make. And not all games are equal. For example traditional 2D range fighting games don’t require the same effort to make like an RPG. Yet costs the same and don’t provide the same amount of content. Developers have kept costs low to keep growing the industry.

I don’t like how others have used the term “outdated” to describe this game. For me outdated implies that a present state of something is superior. Like DD1, DD2 is an acquired taste. I’m pleased DD2 is more of the same. So for me I’m glad they didn’t go with the flow and make an RPG like everyone else whatever that means. They stuck to what they know just like Bethesda whom knows their core audience. RPGs are supposed to be unique and offer something different. As this genre of games isn’t the mainstream sector for gaming. Likely never will be. I like DD2 for what it is and appreciate it. I hope developers around the world do different things. As for reviews, one needs to know the tastes of the reviewer if one is to value the opinion. Just like I never value the opinion on beer from someone without knowing their preferences/standards.

@nomither6 no problem mate! I’m always pleased that someone else messes the art directions of older games. Personally I think art in the modern west is at a stale point. As everyone is going for the too clean and simple look. With predictable plots, characters etc.. the same is true for western movies today. It’s like studios are afraid to actually take risks on new IPs and just doing something different. As the bean counters that run the show only truly care about profit. Which unfortunately means taking the path of least resistance and going with the flow. Companies always cared about profit don’t get me wrong but each studio expects hit level profits. The gaming industry has suffered like the movie industry. As gone are the days of cool various AA and A titles from previous generations. I digress! I have only watched gameplay of hell divers 2 since I’m playing other things presently but that game would be a great candidate for a gritty darker art style. The world of the movies wasn’t colorful.

The gaming industry across the board took on many additional staff due to the cough years. With the hopes of so many big live service games that everyone would buy into. Which was a funny pipe dream considering that many spend a lot of time in one or two live service games. So the industry is correcting itself. The gaming industry has always been weary place for anyone seeking a career or longevity.

@nomither6 I know what you mean. I enjoyed the Killzone 2 look. Had what you described which helped with the vibe a lot. I agree not everything has to be bright and vibrant. I think that style is preferred because of the HDR and Dolby vision era. People are obsessed with brighter color palettes which equals good to many. Same for movies.

Give that google dev some virtue signaling points! Funny coming from a company that made its money off of covert actions by being invasive with everyone’s data.

Great game so far. I find the game to be playable just like most games from older console generations at launch that were ambitious titles. Perhaps the remasters of old games have made gamers accustomed to high frames and high resolution over the past few years. Of course older stuff can run with ease on new hardware. The Witcher 3 when it first came out had challenges because the title was ambitious. Despite the technical problems by current standards I enjoyed it. People need to remember that ambitious titles made for any present console hardware will have challenges. Especially if the artists get their way to push their vision. This game is playable. I hope more people enjoy this current generation new game. Or folks can wait until PS6 or the rumored beast of an Xbox come out to run this.

@Carck non western developers and societies don’t care about the “woke” issues that western ones are obsessed with. East Asia in general is tougher. If this was made by a western dev it would have to have forced “inclusion” requirements or ideals of the day to receive fake praise.

I hope this game does well.

@Nepp67 yes I know but one cannot start as that class! I want to start from the beginning with it. I just got the game and not very far into it.

I don’t think anyone should put much weight on what critics say. As the non creating class always has something to say. Folks should just use reviews as something initial to see if one would like something. If it intrigues them to some degree then one should give it a try. Art is never perfect as there will always be complaints. Many people like this game so it is a success. Games don’t have to please everyone. My only complaint about this game is that I wish I could be a strider starting off with a bow and daggers like DD1.

@ShogunRok to be fair consoles have not kept up with inflation just like every other industry. The makers have done their best to keep the base console prices attainable. Despite them taking a loss with a lesser machine compared to previous more bespoke SOCs in older generations. Gaming is an expensive hobby and many forget hobbies cost money. As long as the Sony sells the base console still all will be well. The pro is just extra for those that want the best for their high end 4K displays. I expect at least 600$ like the original PS3 which was worth it at the time for how robust it was.

@tameshiyaku with that logic all corporations should give up the rights to their IPs! Oh and Ferrari should give its V12s to all manufacturers. No one is entitled to IPs that they don’t own. Exclusivity must stay in general for PS as, Sony and Nintendo don’t have the backbone of software revenue like windows. I seriously don’t understand modern gamers mindset that everyone needs access to IPs for this hobby. If one cannot afford multiple platforms it is what it is. Gaming is just a hobby.

These devs talk as if the consoles have such unique hardware these days. Gone are the days of true bespoke SOCs from each manufacturer. The Xbox series s and Xbox series X are the same architecture with the Ps5 being so similar. Prior to PS4 and Xbox one this wasn’t the case. And the series s doesn’t hold back the series x, it is devs that are holding back the series x. Devs just haven’t optimized their work flows like PC game developers do.

@waltdisneypixar no reason for Sony or Nintendo to share. Both need their gaming divisions to do well. As both companies don’t have windows or software money to keep them going. So in other words they won’t share their IPs which they are under no obligation to as a corporation.

@Northern_munkey it’s being blown out of proportion because critic only outlets like digital foundry make it so. People need to put less weight on what critics or not creators say about things in life. DD2 is playable. As a long time console gamer, RPGs are never perfect because they are always ambitious for whatever hardware they were developed for at the time.

They just need to optimize the game some more. And so what if it’s locked at 30 fps on consoles. Gamers are now reminded that current gen games are ambitious for current hardware. As for the par four years console gamers have mostly been seeing cross platform games. Which of course are easy for new hardware to run.

@Atreus97 it’s about optimization and balancing the vision of the creators or artists. As no matter what hardware console makers put out, it won’t be strong enough for unoptimized games.

As long as the base game can be played well. If others want to bypass progression then cool. It’s an RPG people can play as they please.

@C25CLOUD exactly man! I don’t see the problem with this. NOW as long as the base game can be played then it’s okay by me. People are free to spend their money as they please even if I think it is silly. I.e. digital football card packs in madden and skin changes for free to play games.

@Deadlyblack nice. I also did the same for my PS3. I saw it at GameStop new and randomly got it. Been a fan ever since.

@jt887 I’ve always avoided listening to those mainstream review sources. As if one only listened to them, one would miss out on many good things in the entertainment industry. Now of course there are many people that are “plugged” in so to speak and cherish the mainstream outlets opinions which is also fine.

@LordAinsley yup it’s all vanity. Gaming is a hobby. And like all hobbies it costs extra money. People can choose how they spend their coin once their core needs to live are taken care of.

Microsoft can do as they please with their IPs. I hope Sony keeps their IPs under tight control. Same for Nintendo. As Microsoft can afford to do this. And no surprise it has a lot of pre-orders, the game is fun.

I don’t understand this attitude that everyone has to share. IPs or intellectual property doesn’t work like that. Entities or corporations are under no obligation to share their IPs. As the goal of a business for any industry is to get people to buy into their product. I hope Sony and Nintendo keep their exclusives. PC isn’t a direct competitor and never has been for the consoles. As most consumers won’t spend a lot on a PC just to play some games. I think modern gamers have such of an entitlement. Remember gaming is just luxury hobby.

@jt887 I disagree. Exclusives are IPs. Corporations do not have to share their IPs for any industry. If that is the case, Ferrari needs to share its V12s with lower tier brands because people feel that sharing is carrying.

If one wanted to respect their time they wouldn’t be doing this vanity or hobby called gaming. Instead doing something productive for their life. Maybe I’m in the minority but I prefer long open world games that provide a lot of value. Especially considering how modern gaming doesn’t have as many titles out as earlier generations due to development costs.

@MrMagic I only buy physical as well for both consoles. I have no interest in renting games indefinitely through subscriptions. For my Xbox I hate that they got rid of Xbox live. So technically I’m a game pass subscriber just because I want to play online with friends. So it’s also why GP has increased in users as they got rid of Xbox Live only.

@ZhuckelDror my thoughts exactly.

The Covid era can be attributed to the present state of gaming. As many companies went all in on GAAS and semiconductors were priced high. Demand for semiconductors only increased during Covid as more people wanted all types of electronics. And most came from China and Taiwan whom like most places had restrictions for work. Couples this with semiconductor manufacturing not getting cheaper due to physical limitations. Consoles will just have to be more expensive. As gaming has remained relatively cheap compared to inflation overall. Console makers and game companies haven’t kept up with inflation like every other industry by charging more for their products like everyone else. So people should expect to pay more for this Hobby of ours. Which many feel entitled to.

@breakneck inflation for the west was already there before the proxy war of UA/RU. As the world was still coming off of the Covid economy which was the true cause of inflation the past few years. The minuscule economies of UA/RU are just a convenient excuse politicians use. Couple this with an over reliance on one region for semiconductors to add to the problem.

@DennisReynolds yes exactly. IMO developers should have just focused on a solid 1440p for console games. This would allow for beautiful games to be made and not waste power on 4k just to say that something is truly 4K. Most would be okay with 1440P with upscaling to their 4K displays.

@Vil gaming is a luxury hobby. If one cannot afford it then one must abstain from it until everything else is in order. I find that many modern gamers forget this fact. No one is entitled to “affordable” hobbies. The fact is the gaming industry has been relaxed with price increased compared to every other sector in the economy. Which is why profits are smaller. Since the price of consoles and games have remained relatively the same. Despite costs of employees and everything else going up.