Comments 323

Re: Battlefield 2042 Goes Near Future on PS5 and PS4, Out in October

truerbluer

@LiamCroft I personally can never justify paying the same or greater price than a single player game because a multiplayer-only game's lifespan is entirely reliant on the number of people playing, which will eventually decline over time. If you look at the most popular multiplayer-only games today you'll see they're largely free-to-play (Fortnite, Warzone, Apex Legends) or annual sports games that have traditional single player modes.

Once the game population dies down you're left with an expensive paperweight with little resale value (even worse if you go digital). I suppose those that only buy 2-3 games a year and devote their time solely to those few games can probably justify the price but personally I can't justify spending that much money on something that has a guaranteed limited lifespan.

Re: Battlefield 2042 Goes Near Future on PS5 and PS4, Out in October

truerbluer

Looking at EA's official pre-order price links the UK prices for the standard edition are:

  • PS5 & Xbox Series X|S = £69.99
  • PS4 & Xbox One = £59.99
  • PC = £49.99

These prices are absurd for a multiplayer only game and even worse for console owners who have to pay for PS+/Xbox Live just to play the game.

EA have also hinted at cross-play, making the console pricing all the more laughable when PC players get everything the current gen consoles offer (128 players, 4K, 60+fps, RT) and now potentially the entire console playerbase without the paywall to play online.

Re: PlayStation Studios Boss Suggests God of War Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7 Are Also Coming to PS4

truerbluer

@art_of_the_kill The writing was on the wall as soon as they dropped the "Only on PlayStation" label and the publishing arm changed name to "PlayStation Studios". That name reeks of branching out of PlayStation hardware to stamp the name across other devices and it was proven correct.

Even the DualSense can't be used as an exclusive PS5 feature anymore, the Metro devs have already implemented it on their enhanced PC version. You would think that Sony would lock that down and force devs making games on PlayStation to sign an agreement that DualSense features are exclusive to PS5, but no! All the PS5 has now is the custom SSD, which won't even be utilised for game design thanks to their cross-gen initiative and will soon be caught up and overtaken by PC SSDs by the time it does.

That just leaves a console that appeals to casuals and uninformed tech-illiterates who still think PCs are as complicated to use as they were in the 90s and 2000s and that you somehow can't use a controller or play on a TV. It's a shame that a lot of PS owners and fans don't even care about this with some even encouraging putting exclusives out of PlayStation because "it's good more people can play" or "it makes them money for more exclusives" ignoring the fact that they've opened Pandora's box and PCs will now continue getting every exclusive with significantly better visuals and performance while they remain stuck with worse versions of games like Days Gone, HZD and Death Stranding, the sales of which aid to fund the next PC ports, good job!

Re: PlayStation Studios Boss Suggests God of War Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7 Are Also Coming to PS4

truerbluer

How nice of Sony to inform us some 7 months after launch that all of their upcoming first party titles that they used to showcase the power of PS5 are now cross-gen. It's not like people were deceived into thinking owning a PS5 was the only way to play them or anything... /s

Also, nice of Hulst "to emphasise that PlayStation will remain the best place to play our PlayStation Studios titles at launch". So PlayStation consoles are pretty much early access machines now where we have the privilege of paying £70 for games; he didn't even confirm that some games will remain exclusive anymore, just that they'll "look at the right times to launch each game" on PC and reiterated the 2 year gap between Days Gone PS4 to PC like it's some kind of hardship to strive off 2 years to receive a far superior version.

I've never seen the desirability of a console fall so quickly. They had everything going for them going into this gen and they've thrown it all away to chase other markets and continue exploiting their die hard fanbase for greater profit. I have completely lost interest in PS5 now, which saddens me because I loved all previous PS consoles and had been an ardent supporter since 1996 but it's no longer rational to buy a PS5 knowing its games aren't going to remain exclusive or even the best way to play and will miss out on whatever other studios Microsoft chooses to acquire.

Re: Ubisoft Claims It Won't Abandon PS4 Version of Far Cry 6

truerbluer

@WallyWest https://twitter.com/Chris_Dring/status/1363546988097208328

Miles Morales has already sold more on PS5 than PS4 despite the smaller base and it's already back at #1 as of just last week:

https://twitter.com/Chris_Dring/status/1399367496310968321

But you didn't answer my question, when should they cease cross-gen games? What's the motivation to even get a PS5 if all games continue to release for PS4 as well, it's certainly not just for a bump in resolution and framerate that's for sure.

To be clear I'm not saying all games need to be just for PS5 right away but all 1st party games absolutely should as well as unannounced 3rd party games in development.

Re: Ubisoft Claims It Won't Abandon PS4 Version of Far Cry 6

truerbluer

@WallyWest Why does that matter? The price of a PS5 will eventually go down and so will its scarcity while this game (and other cross-gen titles) will forever remain constrained by last gen tech. When should they stop cross-gen games then? Do you not want the latest hardware to be taken full advantage of?

Re: Ubisoft Claims It Won't Abandon PS4 Version of Far Cry 6

truerbluer

@Icey664 Unfortunately we're probably going to wait until at least 2023 for that to happen. There's too many selfish people that will gladly sacrifice quality and ambition just so they can continue playing on their ancient 2013 hardware at the detriment of others, and I say this as someone who doesn't even have a PS5.

Re: Horizon Forbidden West Mesmerises in 14 Minute Gameplay Sequence

truerbluer

Does anyone find the environments looking a little... static? Like there's very little foliage movement aside from when she moves through the red tall grass area. There's no wind blowing leaves and materials either and the footprints in the sand don't seem prominent. Also there's something odd about the lighting on Aloy, it looks like there's a glow around the character that gives off a "green screen" effect, it especially looks odd when she moves in shadowy areas and goes underwater. Her hair remains perfectly intact underwater and the strands don't even float when she emerges, not to mention she doesn't even look like she went underwater at all after she emerges. I know these are nit-picks but I was expecting a lot more attention to detail for a supposed PS5 showpiece. These are probably some of the compromises they had to make being cross-gen and all.

Re: Uncharted 4 Heading to PC, Investor Presentation Claims

truerbluer

Another thing people are grossly overlooking is the push to selling to China and the ramifications that will have on game content. They're now going to self-censor their own games to appease that market and stifle creativity so that the games are sanitised for the Chinese market.

I am not hopeful for the direction Sony are heading in that's screaming profits over passion.

Re: Uncharted 4 Heading to PC, Investor Presentation Claims

truerbluer

@Northern_munkey The article I posted is slightly newer than yours but regardless it makes no business sense for Microsoft to spend all that money to buy Bethesda just to continue to operate like nothing's changed. They will leverage their acquisition to bolster their own platforms by making exclusives otherwise what's the point?

Re: Uncharted 4 Heading to PC, Investor Presentation Claims

truerbluer

@Northern_munkey Phil Spencer has explicitly said future Bethesda games will be exclusive to "platforms where Game Pass exists"

https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-03-11-phil-spencer-says-future-bethesda-games-will-be-exclusive-to-platforms-where-game-pass-exists

The only Bethesda games for PS5 are the aforementioned and updates for preexisting service games like Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76. That's all it's going to get.

Re: Uncharted 4 Heading to PC, Investor Presentation Claims

truerbluer

@Areus I don't see that happening anytime soon. They're going to get their cake and eat it too selling £70 games and PS+ subscriptions to fund further PC ports unless PS customers wisen up. Also they seem outright happy that MLB 21 is now multiplatform and still managed to top US PSN in spending despite Game Pass giving it away. They know their PS customers are complacent with PS5 and will continue to take advantage of them.

@PegasusActual93 Literally all the games you listed are 3rd party and got PC ports about a year after their PS release if you look up their history. It's not the same thing as 1st party studios owned by Sony themselves. Also that was back when PC ports were complete garbage with no unified controller support which meant the PS versions were still the primary versions that most people played. I have no problems with 3rd parties going multiplatform regardless, they're not beholden to only make games for one platform and shouldn't be either.

@Spyroescape What exactly is wrong with PS fans feeling special? Are you saying PS fans shouldn't be treated right by their own company? It's not about 6 year old exclusives, the slides clearly spell out that they're adopting a GAAS model for future titles "both on and off console". How "fine" is PS5 that they're promoting 2 games, Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo that will never see sequels from on their platform again? What is the incentive for PS5 owners to support these games at full retail price knowing they'll never get any follow up games and their direct competitor will reap all the benefits from their sales?

Re: Uncharted 4 Heading to PC, Investor Presentation Claims

truerbluer

Welp, this basically confirms it's the end of the road for the Sony we knew and loved from PS1-PS4. I fear it's the end of true exclusives now, I guess the first hint was the removal of "Only on PlayStation" from PS5 boxes but these slides outright confirm they're going to push for a GAAS model on BOTH console and "other platforms" i.e. PC and it makes sense since they could only make money from one-time purchases on PC before but now they're going to shoehorn in GAAS microtransactions in future titles for continual revenue and console gamers are affected too.

All this proves to me is that they have lost all confidence in their own products and PS customers that now they're willing to completely ruin the prestige of these exclusives that they've spent decades building all for the sake of greed by pushing "service-led experiences" i.e. GAAS and putting them on other platforms while PS chumps shell out £70 for temporary exclusives.

As someone who was planning on getting a PS5, I really don't know anymore... I guess the first sign of a PS5 "exclusive" going to PC would cement my decision to skip getting the console altogether now.

Re: Rumoured PS Plus Game Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Announced as PS4 Exclusive

truerbluer

@PossibLeigh It's a 3 button game: Guard (Square), Punch (X or Triangle), Kick (Circle).

The fighting is mostly similar to Tekken but the combat is more free-flowing. The fighting styles are based on real martial arts so there's no fantastical moves like fireballs. The inputs are mostly timing based as opposed to Street Fighter's quarter motions and the fighting is centred around counterattacking unlike the juggling in Tekken.

Re: Rumoured PS Plus Game Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Announced as PS4 Exclusive

truerbluer

For those old enough to remember, back in the mid 90s Virtua Fighter was absolutely massive. You couldn't escape coverage from magazines and TV back then (from a UK perspective) and VF2 single-handedly kept the Sega Saturn from complete irrelevance. Good times.

Sad to see how the franchise has become all but a distant memory with most gamers these days giving no reverence for its significant impact to 3D gaming.

Re: Zurkon Jr. Guides Us Through Weapons and Traversal in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Video

truerbluer

@art_of_the_kill Ordinarily if it was another game I'd be slightly wary too but this game specifically has been showcased as only currently being possible on PS5 due to the intrinsic use of the custom SSD in game design.

From a business standpoint it makes little sense for it to go to PC when only a fraction of all PC players would even be able to meet the requirements to play the game as is; it would be a complete waste of development resources to re-do the game to accommodate the larger selling base on weaker hardware.

Also, it's listed under the "exclusive" section on the official site: https://www.playstation.com/en-gb/ps5/games/

And Insomniac themselves have stated it's exclusively on PS5:
https://twitter.com/insomniacgames/status/1392872514339049472

Re: All PS5 and PS4 Crossplay Games

truerbluer

All console games that have crossplay with PC should have their online paywall removed.

PS+, Xbox Live and Switch Online subscriptions supposedly pay for server costs, but PC players don't have to pay AND get access to all console players!? How exactly is that fair for console users?

The only fair solution is if the paywall for consoles is removed or PC players have to pay for crossplay, and we know the latter is absolutely never going to happen.

Re: Sony on Upcoming PS5 Games: Wait Until You See What's Coming from Our Third-Party Partners

truerbluer

Exclusives matter and are arguably the most important factor when deciding a system. Just look at all previous generations of consoles and try to recall the best games that released on them. I'm willing to bet that most people will find that exclusives (timed or full) are going to be in their top 5 picks for the system.

In my opinion, the best generations have always been the ones where each platform had multiple exclusives. I hate how Xbox have forfeited exclusives to PC, I want them to entice me to their platform not give me a reason to avoid them. The original Xbox and Xbox 360 had great exclusives that are fondly remembered to this day. The same can't be said about Xbox One or Series S|X.

There's people that love to spread the rhetoric that "exclusives are anti-consumer" and feel like they're entitled to every game under the sun on their system. Imagine if that were to happen, how awful would gaming be if every system was just a homogenous box that played games like a DVD/Blu-Ray player. Nintendo would be dead and buried, nobody would want to deal with their feeble hardware and their quality and innovation will plummet just like Sega did after they became a multiplatform developer. Competition will be non-existent since everyone will just buy the system they can afford - they'll all play the same games so who cares! There will be no drive to push the medium forward since every game will be beholden to release on every platform to maintain the "pro-consumer" stance and none will be able to take advantage of any unique features for the sake of parity.

Look at the big video streaming services like Disney+, Amazon Prime and Netflix. It's not like they share their original content amongst themselves. They know the value of their own shows that they've invested time and money in, so why should they go on their competitor's service to benefit them? Where's the anti-consumer crying here? I don't understand how this belief that exclusive games are anti-consumer became so popular in recent times, it's a business not a charity!

Re: PlayStation Studios' Creator Page Is Live on Steam, And Teasing More PC Ports

truerbluer

@ViolentEntity Exactly, imagine a game like Bloodborne gets ported to PC with a fully unlocked frame rate, 4K resolution support and all frame-pacing issues fixed. How do you think that will make PS5 owners feel? No patch (if even possible) will make the game look and run as good as the PC version and the only other option would be to release a remaster or in the (most likely) worst case scenario, nothing happens so they're stuck with the exact same 2015 PS4 game at 1080p, 30fps and frame-pacing issues. So PC players get the optimal game while PlayStation owners are stuck with a substandard version. Of course PS fans are going to be angry about it because their long-term platform support gets them nothing while a group that never supported PS gets the best version. Informed people will quickly abandon PlayStation if this continues, and so far it seems to be the case with HZD, Death Stranding and Quantic Dream games not getting any enhancement patches to bring them close to PC settings.

Re: PlayStation Studios' Creator Page Is Live on Steam, And Teasing More PC Ports

truerbluer

Depending on what games they are, this could lead to a "snake eating itself" situation:

  • Game comes out only on PlayStation
  • Game doesn't generate enough revenue to satisfy Sony
  • Game gets ported to PC for additional revenue
  • Revenue gets reinvested into new game development
  • Repeat cycle

This will encourage many people to switch to PC and cut PlayStation out of the cycle entirely. Game sales on PlayStation will drop and Sony will have no choice but to continue releasing on PC with quick turnaround to recoup lost PlayStation sales or eat heavy costs. The cycle will continue indefinitely and the need for PlayStation hardware will go away for many people, especially the enthusiast crowd who care about graphics and performance.

All of sudden PlayStation consoles seem like bad value when PC will get all Xbox exclusives in addition to PlayStation games, with no online paywalls and the ease of piracy (which let's be real, is prominent but people love to pretend it's insignificant). PlayStation will only be one step ahead of total redundancy that is Xbox.

This also undermines PS5's backwards compatibility and boost mode which are no longer attractive selling points for those that skipped PS4.

Re: Valve Boss Gabe Newell Hints PS5, PS4 Projects Could Be Announced This Year

truerbluer

I don't think he's talking about bringing HL: Alyx or any other Valve game to PS5/PSVR but instead probably making another attempt at a "console Steam box".

Newell has been outspoken about his dislike for Sony and PlayStation over the years and never fails to take jabs at them given the opportunity; just look at this recent interview where without hesitation picks Xbox over PS5:

https://youtu.be/BVjPUExAqaY?t=190

No head of a game studio would outright pick one platform over the other if they intended to create and sell games for both of them but the fact that he doesn't even mention a single positive unique feature about PS5 speaks volumes.

And let's not forget Valve's tepid support for PlayStation over the years; leaving EA to make a woeful port of The Orange Box while they handled the Xbox 360 version themselves and completely skipping both Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 on PS3 for no given reason. It took up until 2010 for him to realise he's losing sales on a growing PS3 playerbase that he came back grovelling on Sony's E3 stage to announce Portal 2 on PS3.

Re: Official PlayStation Magazine UK Canned, PLAY Branding Resurrected

truerbluer

I haven't bought an OPM UK magazine since the beginning of the PS2 generation but had practically every issue up until PS2 launched. It's funny how I used to hold their reviews in high regard but looking back they really had some awful reviews that were complete outliers to the general consensus: giving 9/10 to Star Wars Episode 1 (later discovering the reviewer was bribed with a trip to Skywalker Ranch), 10/10 to EVERY PS1 Tomb Raider (massive bias towards UK devs) and worst of all, only giving 7/10 to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night which basically doomed the game into obscurity in the UK.

Re: Poll: Will You Be Buying Returnal?

truerbluer

Reading reports from people who are currently playing the game that it's punishingly hard. This game is going to anger and annoy a lot of people; those unfamiliar with roguelikes/roguelites are in for a rude awakening.

Re: Poll: Will You Be Buying Returnal?

truerbluer

I predict there will be a lot of people buying it under the impression that it's a cool looking sci-fi third-person shooter. Then as soon as they discover that it's actually a roguelite (dying sets you back to the beginning and levels are procedurally generated) the regret will kick in esp with the £70 price.

Re: This PS5 Ad Isn't Going to Make Stock Any Easier to Find

truerbluer

My biggest concern about this gen is starting to come true:

The stock shortage is just going to prolong cross-gen games for a lot longer. This really sucks for those of us who want true current generation games that actually make use of the new hardware and now we'll probably be waiting at least 2 more years until devs transition fully to only making current gen games.

Re: Resident Evil Village Has Gyro Aiming on PS5, But It's Busted

truerbluer

@Floki All I meant is the Series S will be the lowest common denominator for this gen and all multiplat games will be using it as the base system to develop from. This simply means only a few devs will go above and beyond to make DualSense features intrinsic to gameplay when the majority will ignore it or provide a half-baked approach, just like the touchpad on PS4.

Re: Resident Evil Village Has Gyro Aiming on PS5, But It's Busted

truerbluer

@sikthvash I think you're underestimating how much of a leap in power it has been this gen, but I can understand why since so far only Demon's Souls showcased it while everything else has been hindered by being cross-gen.

The thing about PC is so far there haven't been any true multiplatform generation exclusives i.e. only on PS5 and Xbox Series. The reason low and medium spec PCs can run current games is because they're still being designed for PS4 and Xbox One as base platforms. It'll be interesting to see what happens in a few years time when (if?) multiplat devs move solely to PS5 and Xbox Series and how PC ports will be affected and whether it'll force PC owners to upgrade and get NVMe SSDs with approximate console speeds or be left behind.

The reason I'm bitter about Series S is because currently it's getting an easy ride playing games designed for PS4 and Xbox One but when true next gen only games start arriving, Microsoft will be forcibly making devs scale back their ambitions to accommodate the Series S. This is also unprecedented because no generation has ever launched with 2 models of the same platform with such a big power difference. The way I see it, MS will either have to abandon Series S like they did with Kinect and anger a lot of people or they will forcibly keep the bar low for all multiplatform devs while PS5, PC and Series X owners suffer the consequences.

Re: Resident Evil Village Has Gyro Aiming on PS5, But It's Busted

truerbluer

@sikthvash I suggest you read these:

https://www.gamesradar.com/uk/xbox-series-s-could-bottleneck-some-next-gen-games-developers-suggest/

https://wccftech.com/xbox-series-s-ram-not-an-issue-but-gpu-performance-presents-challenges-for-future-titles-4a-games/

Developers at id, Remedy, Infinity Ward, 4A Games have spoken about how the Series S will hold back multiplatform development.

Do you really think games like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart could even work on a Series S? Multiplatform devs have to completely compromise their design and vision to make games even work on a Series S. Games like Rift Apart that utilise the hardware for instantaneous loading could never be made by multiplatform devs as long as Series S parity is enforced. It'll only be Sony and their 3rd party exclusives that'll be able to make full use of the hardware.

Like you said there is very little difference between PS5 and Series X, so yes, PS5 wouldn't compromise development for Series X, but Series S (and last gen) certainly will.

Tell me, why Halo Infinite was delayed again? Why was the reception to its reveal so unanimously negative? Could it be weaker platforms holding it back?

Re: Resident Evil Village Has Gyro Aiming on PS5, But It's Busted

truerbluer

@thefourfoldroot The weak Xbox Series S will hold back all multiplatform games for the entire generation by forcing content parity across all systems. The only way games will fully utilise hardware is if Sony continues securing console and timed exclusives which will give devs an incentive to make the most of all the features.

Re: Out Today: MLB The Show 21 Launches at Full Price on PS5, PS4

truerbluer

This game deserves to flop on PlayStation, it's the only way Sony will get the message that their longtime supporters deserve equal if not better treatment.

The least they could have done is added some exclusive content or modes to the PS versions but I presume they were blindsided by the Game Pass deal and it was too late.

It's also no coincidence that the game currently sits on a yellow Metascore; the first time in the franchise's 15 year history. If ever there was evidence that an annual exclusive going multiplatform would harm quality, this is it!

Re: Over 15,000 People Have Signed a Petition for Days Gone 2

truerbluer

Both Jeff Ross and John Garvin the game director and creative director/writer have left Bend. Who would even lead development of the sequel when the two key personnel are gone?

It seems very unlikely to me that this series will get a real sequel; maybe they can make a spin-off multiplayer game using the already made world and assets.

Re: Days Gone Is Still a Stunner in PC Features Trailer

truerbluer

@Divergent95 Sure but you have to understand that in general social media there's a lot more PC and Xbox people who are part of the conversation rejoicing about this news and using this a crutch to diminish the necessity and value of PS hardware. But if you look at PS specific sites and communities, the vast majority dislike the direction Sony are heading in and are also questioning the need to even buy PS hardware if exclusives will go elsewhere anyway.

Re: Days Gone Is Still a Stunner in PC Features Trailer

truerbluer

@Divergent95 According to SteamSpy, HZD has to date sold between 1 million - 2 million on Steam after being on sale for almost 9 months, which frankly seems very weak for a game of that calibre. Not forgetting the 30/70 split with Steam on the sale price.

Jim Ryan in his GQ interview said "there was no massive adverse reaction" to the HZD port so they'll continue. I'm thinking... did you even look at your own PS Blog comments or PS community sites like here? Even the polls show that PS fans are overwhelmingly against this.