Comments 744

Re: June 2020 PS Plus Game Is Available to Download Now on PS4

jgrangervikings1

I bought a physical copy of COD: WWII from the local Pawn America store about six months ago for $5, and I was excited because it was such a great price. The other used copies of the same game on that store’s shelves were like $12-$15, so I figured some silly non-video gaming worker mispriced it, and I took advantage! But, for all the rest of the PS4 gamers out there, hey, the PS+ price is even better—>free (with paid subscription). Woo!

It’s a really good game. I thought the opening landing at Normandy was exciting, nauseating, visceral, and surreal—about as realistic and engaging as one could ever hope for.

The other PS Plus games for the month? At some point, I’m guessing Hellblade. That Plague game is out there, too, and so is Control. Or, since Civilization VI is being given away through Epic Game Store on pc this week—and GTA V was free there last week—maybe PS+ would go in one of those directions.

Re: Interview: Hacking and Yacking About Darksiders Genesis with Composer Gareth Coker

jgrangervikings1

If Mozart were alive, would he be writing video game music?

Cool article. With the interview and putting this article together. I liked it a lot. And, it shined a light on an impressive, instrumental aspect of the gaming experience—the music—and the artist is really talented...wow!

As an aside, I’d love to hear a music score for a game in this vein that eschews the strings and woodwinds in favor of big brass and percussion. The result would be something along the lines of Basil Poledouris’s Conan the Barbarian score (though even his score had too many strings imo).

Re: Trails of Cold Steel IV Stirs Some Emotion with New Story Trailer

jgrangervikings1

If you have never gotten into JRPGs like me but you’re sitting at home with the Coronavirus outbreak and can’t decide what to play, go out and buy the first Trails of Cold Steel on PSN store. It’s on sale this week. It’s a great game for anyone. It’s accessible, it’s fun, it eats ip your time, and you will keep coming back to it. And, if you’re like me, you got invested in the series and now can’t wait for the fourth entry. Great games! I wish Sony would highlight them—they really are worth the time.

Re: Sony Breaks Silence with PlayStation Studios Reveal

jgrangervikings1

It’s Marvel-ous. At least that’s what it reminded me of—the Marvel movie intro. Hopefully the development studios will continue to remain autonomous moving forward. Ultimately, it’s the dynamism and personality of each studio and its employees that have brought Sony to where it is today. Since each developer has its own unique strengths and identity, it’d be a real shame to see Naughty Dog, Bend, Polyphony Digital, Insomnia, Sucker Punch, et al., lessened or cheapened by a move like this.

Re: Star Wars Episode I: Racer Delays PS4 Podracing Yet Again

jgrangervikings1

I think I’m missing something. The sequel (Revenge) was already remastered and it‘s playable through PS Now. It’s...meh. The original was a game my best friend had on N64, and I always thought it was...meh. Maybe if it had more likable characters it would’ve been more enjoyable?

I guess I did have some fun bashing Anni Skywalker character into the rocky cliffs. But even that got old after a few explosions.

Top speed, Anni! The full force will be with you....aaahhhh! <smoosh sound>

Re: Tomorrow's Summer Game Fest Reveal Is a 'Cool and Fun' Title, Says Geoff Keighley

jgrangervikings1

I like to guess. If I make enough guesses, I might even get it right. Here goes...

—It’s not a menace. It’s Everybody’s Tennis!
—It’s Dead Nation 2! Yeah, that’s what they’ll do!
—It’s a new Alienation (insert exclamation!)
—It’s a new WipeOut, no doubt!
—It’ll surely rock, because it’s System Shock!
—Cut the red tape. It’s been announced: Ape Escape!
—Sony’s announcing what they can: It’s Resistance: Fall of Man
—Sony decrees: Papers, Please!
—Your pants will be soiled. It’s another PlayStation All Stars Battle Royal!
—There’s much attraction: It’s a new Red Faction!
—Lost Planet 4–it’ll be knocking at your door!

Re: PS Plus May 2020 Reveal Has Been a Disaster, One of the Worst Received Months Ever

jgrangervikings1

They’re both the same niche, and that’s a concern. The bigger annoyance to me is that they’re both already playable through PS Now. Wikipedia states there are currently 2565 PS4 released games. Don’t pick 2 that PS Now subscribers can already play! I’m paying for both services—PS Plus and PS Now—so I want to feel like I’m getting new content for each paid subscription service.

Re: PS Plus May 2020 PS4 Games Announced

jgrangervikings1

Nope, not pleased at all. Both of these games are already available on PS Now, so there’s nothing new or different to experience. Plus, the idea of giving out games with “2019” in the title when we’re already a third of the way through 2020 just doesn’t elicit a sense of excitement or enthusiasm.

Note to Devs: If you’re not a sports game, don’t put a year in the title. You just make your game irrelevant and outdated when the calendar year ends. Even if it’s still the newest version of that game, there’s no need to plant those seeds of obsolescence in the minds of your gamers.

Re: Feature: Which Studios Could Sony Realistically Acquire?

jgrangervikings1

Nihon Falcom. Sony would then have access to the Ys and Legends of Heroes series of games, and they could then work on creating triple A titles that are a bit more accessible to western audiences. A move like this could potentially make those two series of games household names in the Europe and the US markets. After seeing the success of the Final Fantasy VII remake and wanting games that will eat up their players’ time (so that the players aren’t investing their time on XBox or pc platforms), it’s a natural fit for Sony’s own PSNow outlet—day one releases to compete with XBox’s service. You can’t complete these long, involved rpgs in a day or even a week (unless you’re spending 7-8 hrs per day on ‘em), and so many players, once invested in the games, will continue their PSNow subscriptions for multiple months to keep playing ‘em until their epically long conclusions have been reached. Since the storylines and characters and lore have already been created, it’d cut down on the development time considerably.

Re: Rogue Legacy 2 Announcement Coming Today, Dev Teases

jgrangervikings1

The first was arguably a top 5 Vita game. Played this one over and over...and over again. If only they’d release the sequel on Vita and PS4 with cross-buy, cross-save like they did with the first one, it’d be a day one purchase—I don’t need to see screenshots, trailers, or reviews. On PS4 by itself, though, I’ll still likely get it, but I have such a backlog I might wait a bit.

I hope devs read this. There IS still a need for good, quality Vita software—there IS money to be made! It just needs to be the right game to capitalize on Vita‘s portable experience. Example: Enter the Gungeon would’ve been an A+ game for Vita. On PS4 alone, it’s good, but doesn’t stand out anymore because there are a bazillion PS4 games already on the market. Games like Rogue Legacy, Spelunky, Enter the Gungeon, The Binding of Isaac, Risk of Rain, VVVVV, even Celeste would’ve been great...they’re just “meant” to be played on a handheld. They have specific characteristics that work well for handheld play. Characteristics of great handheld games include (but aren’t limited to):

—You don’t need to go through a lengthy tutorial to remind you what to do or how to do it
—You can jump in and play a round or two and shut down or pause on a few seconds’ notice
—You die fast but can jump right back into the action
—Fast load times
—The levels change up to keep things fresh
—You don’t have to try to remember intricate details or plot points of a long, story-driven game
—There are lots of upgrades that keep you coming back
—The graphics don’t need to “wow” you

Re: Trails of Cold Steel IV Comes West This Fall on PS4

jgrangervikings1

That’s awesome. I literally finished the first game at 11 pm last night, and then I started the second one. On PS Now, the first two are playable—PS3 versions—and they both hold up pretty well—definitely a less expensive way to play them than investing in the PS4 versions. Only took 63 1/2 hours to get through the first one. By the time I’m ready for IV, it’ll be released in the US. Hot diggity!

Re: Could PSN Be Restricted to Save Internet Bandwidth?

jgrangervikings1

@TheBuzz Maybe, but a guy can’t buy a game if he can’t get to the store. I’d argue the internet and online gaming will become even more popular now, even if bandwidth is cut back a tinge. If anything, it’ll force game developers to build upon technologies that allow their products to look great and play well with less bandwidth.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see somebody come up with a gaming tech similar to a bit torrent model, which would capitalize on excess upload/download speed of the fastest users to boost the internet speed of the slowest users.

Re: Ubisoft Wants to Avoid Its PS5 Games Playing Like Copy and Pastes

jgrangervikings1

Yeah, I totally noticed the Ubisoft games are alike! Take Scrabble and Boggle, for example. You got square-lookin’ tiles, and there are letters inscribed on those tiles. And, as it turns out, you’re trying to make words. And, for each word you make, you get a score with points. And you want to score as many points as you can. And there’s a beginning and an end to each “game” (that’s what they call it—a “game”). And, oh, here you go, here’s the kicker: When you make up a word, both games have a “meeehhp”-like sound to let you know it caught you cheatin’ and it won’t count the points. No matter how many times you try to use those fake words, no points. No points! Can you believe it?! Inconceivable!

Re: Black Boxes for PS5 Games? Fanmade Art Has Us Convinced

jgrangervikings1

Make it exciting and force the users to look up the colors, I say! Go with puce text on razzmatazz...or perhaps gamboge text on Caput Mortuum.

Nah. I work on a printing press, and I can say from printing experience that luxor red foil on a flat black background is absolutely stunning (on flat, smooth white paper looks great, too). Every time you turn that package—even slightly—and the light will reflect on the foil and provide a PS5 pop that’s so beautiful it’s impossible to put into words.

Re: Soapbox: How PS Now Saved Me When I Didn't Have a TV

jgrangervikings1

I just got a subscription to PS Now for Christmas, and it’s all I’ve been playing. The selection isn’t filled with all the games you really, really want, but the games I’ve played have been a lot of fun. Mostly playing through PS3 games, but the PS4 games I’ved tried have worked pretty slick. And, I’d never played a Silent Hill game before, so that’s what I’m getting into now—remastered Silent Hill 2!

Re: Hey Look, a Black Friday Advert Has Appeared on the PS4's Dashboard

jgrangervikings1

The ad doesn’t bother me—it’s not a virus or anything dangerous, so no big deal.

What bothers me more is that I can’t choose which TV & Video services are listed in the top line of apps. I don’t have Hulu and don’t want Disney+, so I want to hide those and show a couple of the other ones that I do use regularly (Pluto TV, IHeartRadio).