dv_xedge

Death Stranding 2 is definitely my number one, plus maybe more in-depth looks at Silent Hill 2 Remake, the new Life is Strange game ... I only did not vote for Astrobot because I am already in the phase of not wanting to see anything more before the game is finally there - It's gonna be so great!

As so often, the real greedy people are the ones here in the comments ... I could write a novel as to why I think this way, but no one will read that anyway.

Thank you for the review! It is always awesome that Push Square gives those smaller games a mini-review.

I really have to disagree with the "no physical edition hurt them" comments. Sure, they could have what I would estimate another 300k copies sold. But that does probably only makes a dent on the profit side of things, as the related costs or lost in profits are not to be overlooked.

And I do not mean the costs of the disc or box itself. A lot of planning goes into a physical edition. They would need more staff (maybe even a lot more with an own sales team) or a distribution partner (publishing partner) which wants their own cut. And (online) retail, especially with this being more special interest, would have some tough conditions to negotiate. And no, just selling it online by their own isn't the quick and easy answer for this either (another topic of its own).

I also find the usual "buing it in a sale" and "broken games" comments a bit sad. Not everything that is AAA or a high priced game is Call of Duty ...

This was a great read with many interesting details or information - And great pictures. Thank you guys for this!

That was fun! Thanks for putting it together!

@Godot25 I see many voices in the comments that state, that they are very happy that the leaks are not covered in detail. Maybe those are similar voices that existed during the mentioned "Capcom leak" and PushSquare (and some other outlets) adapted and changed their behavior?
I think it is a bit sad to confront people with supposedly moral high ground or double standards, when there is positive change in how situations like these are handled.

I gladly supported the Kickstarter a moment ago!

Thank you to Liam / the team for pointing out that there is a campaign running. Forgotton Anne was such a wonderful game, I am super excited for this one.

While there are many interesting points Embracer states, the part of "Increased external funding of internally developed, large-budget games" just for the sake of the games themselves is very intriguing. That sounds a lot like exclusive development for whatever platform or subscription service (or "selling" specific projects to those).

What was interesting to oberserve over the years was that all the "branches" they bought (like Koch Media) continued to operate like nothing changed - Many of them are just doing their own thing. In one way, that is good for the excisting company but it was definitely lacking a complete and connecting strategy. But with that being said: Maybe Embracer really just wanted to have all puzzle pieces first before starting to create all the changes, using or combining their assets more effecient (like one main distributor, one combined merch shop, a few publishing brands instead of a dozen etc.).

It will be interesting to see how this will continue to develop.

Overall, I think it was a very enjoyable and diverse show that moved along nicely. There were a good bunch of cool games, a little bit of something for probably almost everyone. I really don't know what some people expect from these shows and presentations ...

I dislike to be that one guy, but the War Games format was used orginally starting in the late 80's (I think '87 or so) until the late 90's.

Nevertheless, thank you for the great in-depth review! Although I am not getting the game, I am just happy to see that the games are back on track again with a pretty good basic quality. Personally, I've had a good time with the game from last year!

It is silly, but also rather charming in my opinion.

On the other hand, I was surprised to see Kratos and Atreus for a quick moment in the sponsored spots for PlayStation during the Champions League games last week.

What is noteworthy to me is that the regular game is 40 EUR, instead of 60 EUR like the previous release.
If this is more like an update with the new Hybrid Engines etc. and the mentioned updates to some stages and the Rally Sweden, then I think that pricing move is somewhat fair. But still a bit surprising.

On a personal level, I was a bit disappointed by The Quarry. I was expecting a little bit more and no, I don't mean on a "super hyped level" or whatever. Not at all. They scaled back the level of interactivity so damn much, it really is a movie on rails with a few decisions in-between and way too easy gameplay elements. There are also a good bunch of really illogical elements in there that harm the immersion (collectables and hints, especially their placement). And again on a personal level, not ever spooky or thrilling.

I enjoyed playing it and is not a bad game at all! I had a fun weekend with it. But I think a 5 or 6 out of 10 is more than fair and in the right direction. There was a lot left to be desired and that even without putting the price tag in context to it.

Those quizzes are always a ton of fun! Please keep them coming!