wildcat_kickz

@colonelkilgore I'd definitely recommend playing through Inquisition. The story for Veilguard seems to be intrinsically tied to Inquisition; much more so than the first two games. Inquisition has a lot of filler/fetch-quest design, but the story is actually really great.

Also, @Maubari, I agree - the debate on the art style is pretty overblown. Dragon Age 2 had a cartoony/watercolor art style too that had blowback when it first came out. We all got over it.

I really don't understand how people can be this judgmental about a game that they haven't played yet. The aesthetic is definitely a little more generic than I was expecting based on the 70's-style title-card, but the gameplay looks like it could be pretty fun.

I think it's completely reasonable that Sony would want a competitor to Microsoft's Overwatch. I actually find the visuals to this game more appealing than Overwatch, so I will definitely be checking out the beta, when it comes around.

@DennisReynolds I dunno if a photo mode is a necessary feature that should be expected at launch for any game. It's purely additive, in my view. I'd rather the devs prioritize bug fixes and such pre-launch, but if they have the extra bandwidth, it's always a nice thing to see.

We need more people like this in the industry. Don't wring your customers dry at the start and they'll end up spending more in the grand scheme of things. Long-term sustainability > short-term gains.

What a Bizzaro title to be greenlit in the first place. Who is this game for?

The casting of Geralt is irrelevant at this point. Hissrrich has so fundamentally misunderstood what makes the Witcher such a special IP that no actor can save the show. The show feels like it's targeting the Dawson's Creek crowd, rather than the Game of Thrones crowd. Complete tonal miss.

@Suur To be fair, you could still play Destiny on PS3 and Xbox 360 after Rise of Iron came out. They just didn't release updates for that version from that point on. That said, there are probably so few people still playing Hunt on PS4 and Xbox One that this is a non-issue and very much worth the tradeoff.

Been a while since I've booted this game up, but very excited for the PS5 version. I really hope the current-gen version cuts down on the obscene load times for matches.

Wow. That "Special Operation" line seems like a direct dig at Russia. Well played, Arrowhead.

@Porco I beat HZD, thought it was good, and the world very intriguing, but found Aloy pretty wooden and uninteresting as a character. My suspicion is that many people felt the same way, which is why there was a steep falloff in sales in the sequel (I recognize that its inclusion in PS+ Extra was also a large factor). Her origins and the circumstances she finds herself in are very cool, but she's just not a particularly emotive or sympathetic character. Sure, there are plenty of people in the real world like that (myself, included), but they make for pretty poor protagonists.

Maybe if they move away from her in subsequent games, there will be more of a drive to return to that universe, but I still think all these games and cross-media plans are oversaturation to the point of overdose.

Does Sony have some secret data that I don't know about? It feels like they're treating Horizon like it's their most successful IP, but I don't hear anyone on the consumer-end super enthusiastic about it, apart from Colin Moriarty, and even he's indicated that this is way too much.

@LN78 I totally get that. The Moore movies are just a bit too campy for my tastes. Not his fault, but more (moore?) just the vibes the producers were chasing at the time. The closer the movies get to the tone of the books, the happier I am.

@Silenos I think No Time to Die is firmly in the top half of the pack. Definitely not great, but far from terrible. In my opinion, all of Moore's movies are way worse and Brosnan's films haven't aged all that well, apart from Goldeneye. Even Quantum I thought was worse, though No Time to Die doesn't even come close to the heights of Casino Royale or Skyfall. Gadget quantity goes up, film quality goes down.

@Lup @ralphdibny "Actress" is kinda considered an outdated term at this point. There was a push to just use "actor" to cover all genders to promote equality in the field and also allow non-binary actors to not struggle with picking one. Awards ceremonies haven't really caught up to this trend, but I think it's just a matter of time.

@LifeGirl She's writing it, not starring in it.

I'm actually super stoked for this! Been playing Mirage the last few days and have been reminded how cozy the gameplay loop of this series is. I thought Odyssey and Valhalla were wayyyy too big and a bit underwhelming, but Origins is probably my favorite of the franchise. Non-Western settings are just more interesting for me to explore.

Also, if they perplexingly remove cloth physics from the game again (like they did in Valhalla), I'm gonna throw a fit.

Phil Spencer's comment about how they've never shut a studio due to finances hasn't aged that well.

@nessisonett I was going to make a similar joke, but I guess that ship has sailed.

@KoopaTheGamer Broadly speaking, I totally understand your point, but the amount of vitriol that was pointed at Arrowhead/Sony just for asking for an additional login (something that was stated would happen from the very beginning) was absolutely insane. The review bombing shows that. There's a difference between voicing your opinion to cause change for the better and cyberbullying developers to capitulate to a small nitpick.

@ShogunRok If they manage to somehow work a silver spoon into that emblem, I think you have a real winner.

Also, this cape is an epic troll pointed at the moronic professional complainers on the internet. Well played, Arrowhead. Well played.

@Uromastryx I actually think @Member_the_game has a point. There are plenty of casual soccer fans or casual CoD fans that may not want to drop $70 annually for an iterative new release. Putting these bigger annual titles in a PS+ lineup is a great way to keep online actively thriving and get some more people in that wouldn't necessarily shell out the cash for the game. For example, I haven't purchased a new NBA2K game since 2K12, but appreciate 2K24 being offered in a prior month. I'm definitely not a big enough fan to keep buying every new release, but am more than happy to jump in if it comes with my subscription.

This is actually a really solid lineup. FC 24 is not really for me, but is arguably one of the biggest video games in the world. Both Ghostrunner 2 and Tunic and pretty well received as well. No surprise seeing the next D2 expansion on the list, too. Seems Sony have been releasing each expansion sequentially over the past few months.

@carlos82 @MikeOrator Yeah, there's something special in the sauce of this game. Screw the lone wanderer's baby/70 year old child! It's all about picking up junk from the wasteland floor, so you can create a nativity scene with teddy bears and rocket launchers.

Jonah Nolan can do no wrong.

I love this damn game, warts and all. I downloaded the PS5 version and basically intend it to be a continuation of my post-apocalypse Vault simulator. On PS4 I spent hundreds of hours in the Vault 88 DLC, meticulously crafting a custom vault, hand placing cigarettes in ashtrays, books on shelves, and newspapers on café tables. PS5 will be no different.

I suppose I'll just take the opportunity to plat again as a win.

AC Robin Hood would definitely be interesting. Though they just did England as a setting (for the second time), so you might have to wait a while for that one.

I'd honestly want them to continue setting games in non-Western locales. Egypt was great and even while I don't think Odyssey or Mirage were great games, I think the settings were.

After Japan, top of my list would be something in South America/Mesoamerica. Maybe Inca or Maya? Super rich cultures/history that don't really get any love in video games.

@LordAinsley I actually think Origins is my favorite of the bunch. I love the Egyptian setting and thought Bayek was one of the best protagonists in the series - charismatic, empathetic, but wrathful.

I thought Odyssey and Valhalla were just wayyyy too bloated for their own good.

My hope is with Red they slow down the combat, lose all the supernatural/Animus abilities, and just focus on grounded swordplay.

@Northern_munkey You forgot the ™ after Democracy. ✊

@BugCatcherGarl I think we're all just a little confused why you think that having a female protagonist makes the show "girl-power." They're 50% of the world's population, my dude.

@kirkn For clarification, if you're referring to Wolfenstein: The New Order or The New Colossus, those were published by Bethesda, but actually developed by MachineGames, the folks making the new Indiana Jones game. Totally agree, though - incredible games that don't get their flowers nearly enough.

@ShogunRok FYI, channel is called "Moore's Law Is Dead," rather than "Moore's Lore Is Dead."

@DaniPooo I think the reasoning is just financial returns. I just don't think traditional JRPGs bring in the revenue that would justify the production budget of a modern AAA game. I think they're seeing that right now with Rebirth (not a traditional JRPG, but you get my meaning).

That said, I would love for them to make a more traditional FF game in the AA space, so all the old-school fans could feel satiated. Maybe something akin to their HD-2D games, but an original FF story, rather than a remake of 1-6? Of course, if they made that game a numbered entry, that would cause a commotion, in and of itself.

@NEStalgia @DaniPooo I understand where you're coming from, though I don't agree that 16 is a such a genre-bending, tradition-breaking entry. I would argue that 16 is an RPG - a very casual, action-driven RPG with relatively minimal stat systems, but an RPG, nonetheless. Is it for everyone? No. But neither are any of the prior entries.

The entire series is rife with fans decrying changes made, whether it was 15's change to real-time combat, 7's change to 3D, 11's take on an MMO, etc.

I suppose the point I'm trying to make is: even if you're not a fan of how 16 took their shot, I wouldn't worry too much about it. There will no doubt be another entry for you in the future.

@DaniPooo Because you can't play the DLC without playing the main game. You can; however, play Final Fantasy 16 without having played any previous entries and new players should feel very welcome to do so, especially since there's no narrative threads that link the games together.

If you have prerequisites to jump into a new entry, then you'll just have diminishing returns on your player base, as old players would fall off with each subsequent game and new players would feel prohibitively overwhelmed when jumping in.

This is a problem, broadly speaking; not just in this franchise or gaming as a whole. If you only appeal to a hardcore base, then you alienate everyone else and forego any opportunities to expand your pool. Since each "hardcore" fan has a different opinion of what makes their favorite games great, it's impossible to please them all. It's better business sense to seek new fans and not only try to appease those who are already here.

@NEStalgia As a slight counterpoint - with 16 numbered entries, I think there's room for one of the games to be an action game and not an RPG. Since Final Fantasy is an anthology series, I don't think there's any huge need for the games to be consistent from one entry to the next (unless you're staying within the same number, such as X or XIII). I would actually hope they branch out even further with genre experimentation. They may find the next big hook to get in a whole new swath of fans!

@Kidfunkadelic83 It might be worth looking into some of the free mods available (even on PlayStation). There were several that added more color and vegetation to the game. Some of them were a little overbearing, but I remember at least one being pretty tasteful and lore-friendly.

Time to spend another 300 hours building a vault, hand placing every book and pencil... I think I have a problem.

@Mostik Yeah I put probably 1000 hours into D1 and was probably the most fun I've had playing a video game with others. Those D1 raids = chef's kiss. I played D2 through the first year, but fell off after that and just could never get back into it. When Sony started giving some of the expansions out as monthly PS+ games, I tried to give it another go and just got soooo overwhelmed. That said, I might just be too old for those grindy lifestyle games now, but would absolutely give D3 a go if they ever made it.

I would love a hard reset, so newcomers and lapsed players actually have a way back to the game. I've tried so many times to pick the game back up, but it's just way too complicated with overlapping systems and a convoluted story.

Dragon's Dogma 2 has definitely captured me since it released a couple weeks ago. I can't get enough of just wandering the landscape looking for new caves or secrets to uncover.

That said, the best game so far can't be anything but Helldivers 2. Just too much fun blasting communist robots and anarchist bugs. For Democracy™!

Helldivers never die. They're just missing in ac... actually, they die quite a lot.

@Michael2008ish Sounds like the game wasn't made for you. Unfortunate, to be sure, but I guess there's always the option to move on and let other people have fun with it.

@Uromastryx Respectfully, toxicity often comes down to language and not necessarily the information behind it. Hyperbole often leads to toxicity because you're diluting your argument with deliberately inflammatory statements; statements like, "The game is junk" or "if this was a new IP it'd be forgotten already."

This game obviously isn't for you and that's totally fine, but you seem hellbent on making sure everyone else thinks the game sucks too - even to the point of calling out @Silenos for enjoying the game and asking for details, as if he's somehow lying about his enjoyment?

@Michael2008ish Thanks for accusing me of lying - much appreciated. I have a portcrystal currently placed in Bakbattahl, at the Sphynx, at the Elven settlement, at the Volcanic Island Camp, and one not placed. That makes 5. Ferrystones are littered about the map in plenty of chests and are often a reward for completing quests.

@Michael2008ish I’ve accumulated well over 20 Ferrystones so far and like 5 Portcrystals. If you’re smart about where you place them, then you can get just about anywhere. Don’t put them where oxcarts travel, for instance.

To the folks complaining about fast travel - this game hands out so many ferrystones and portcrystals that you can pretty much fast travel to anywhere of import. You can even decide where you think is the most optimal spot to place a fast travel point. No, you cannot fast travel willynilly, but that is the point. It's a more deliberate act and you can find some pretty hilarious solutions to quests via fast travel. There was a quest where I needed to deliver an item to someone, but couldn't fast travel while holding the item. Instead, I went to the person, picked them up and fast travelled back to the item! Hilarious!

@Anke @ILikeStake I was one of the 19%. I prefer 60fps, but 30fps really isn't a huge deal for me. Your eyes/brain can adjust to either pretty quickly if you're not putting up mental roadblocks for yourself. Been playing Dragon's Dogma 2 at 30fps and I love that game. Would I like 60fps? Sure. But honestly, not at the expense of the ray tracing they implemented. Seriously, some of the best lighting in an open world game I've seen and it adds a TON of visual depth to the world. While I think most visual garnishments can be a bit superfluous, especially overall resolution, some really do add a ton to the overall experience, just as much as increased framerate.

@JohntheRaptor People just love to bash things, especially something popular, like SM2. I haven't played SM2 myself, but I can't fathom it being anything less than great. Also, don't really understand why normal-looking people in video games is considered a bad thing? Just cuz MJ doesn't look like a supermodel doesn't make her unattractive. And even if she was, who cares? Peter Parker is in a relationship with her, not us.

@Ernimus_Prime Thank you for your service.