PlayStation Studios Boss: I Encourage Our Teams to Be Fiercely Daring

Lol, right. Daring, as long as it’s nothing lewd. And Japanese.

I wish we got another genre beside 3rd person action adventure games, platformer like astro playroom and shooter platformer like ratchet ps5 are nice but I want more.

Pushing the envelope - of the PS4.

Think we're already feeling the draught left by Japan Studio from a creativity standpoint. Let's hope that the PS5 gets more than just remakes of remakes of remakes...

Sony needs to make a compelling FPS again and they also need to make a full on RPG Ala Fable to call their own imo. I know Horizon, TLoU, GoW etc. All have some rpg elements but that'd not what I mean. Full on action/adventure rpg and a new FPS to add to the stable.

I love the cinema and narration games but can't we also have groundbreaking multiplayer experiences, too? Is what I'd ask him. They tried with MAG, f.e. but the hardware held it back. The PS4 had a terrible CPU, which mattered then but now with PS5, it is the time to be bold and diversify the lineup.

As others have said, I'd like a break from cinematic third-person action-adventure titles for a while. They can focus on single-player experiences and still have some design variety.

@sanderson72 It's SO disappointing knowing that Naughty Dog will be wasted for at least half of this gen on a remake of a game they just remastered on PS4.

PS5 is big, new tech, and their previous properties are, frankly, played out. It's the perfect opportunity to create a new IP.

I’ll admit I didn’t expect the comment section to be this.
I think Hermen and PS Studios in general are doing an amazing job currently.

Yep. Push the limits of the hardware for sure. Don’t get comfortable making cheap and easy remakes and online multiplayer games. Strive to make great games not average/good ones. And give us a god damn Days gone sequel ffs!

They should stick to 3rd person action adventure games, the world is filled with FPS shooter games and RPGs. Sony is the only company excelling at creating massive 3rd person single player games.

As someone who really enjoys cinematic third person action games, and they’re always done really well, more weird ***** needs to come out of PlayStation studios. Imagine if naughty dog just decided to start making survival horror games or Insomniac started doing real time strategy games. I know it’s out of these studios wheelhouses, but games like crash bandicoot, parappa the rapper, wipeout and even metal gear solid would probably just not get made today.

@Ralizah so the remake has been officially confirmed?

@thefourfoldroot What's daring about being lewd and doing something Japanese? You're the reason games are so childish.

I guess 'daring' is relative and open to interpretation. What Hermen considers 'daring' in terms of game development, us as 'gamers' may not.

For example, Reboot God of War in that way could be looked at as 'daring'. A known IP with an established 'game-play' mechanic and to change it with a 'big' budget investment could be seen as Daring. The 'controversial' story decisions in Last of Us 2 can be seen as 'Daring' too.

To a 'gamer' though, the decision to change God of War could be seen as a last chance for a dying IP and Last of Us 2 decisions were a 'mistake' or ruined what they hoped for from a sequel. Even if Game-play isn't really all that different from many others.

Even in the comments section here, I see a number of comments about genres - where are the FPS games, Online MP games etc Its all 3rd Person Action Adventures - although if you love that style, then I see people wanting Sony to stick with the same 'formula'.

Gaming has always been about innovating on what's come before as much as creating entirely new game-play loops. I don't care whether they do 'dare' to do something entirely new or keep doing what they have always done - make 'clones' of other games, borrowing from others to add their own flavour...

If a game appeals to me, I'll play it - regardless of how 'daring' a developer or publisher thinks they were being. You could argue its 'daring' to back any 'new' IP or project with only the Concept and/or ambition. Committing to a $40m+ development is always 'daring'...

@gamerdude666
In today’s society, it’s incredibly daring. Numerous militant activist groups looking to amplify their minority voice through social media. Even Sony have said the censorship is to avoid bad PR.

I haven't played Returnal, but there isn't anything remotely bold about GOW or TLOU2. GOW is nothing but the typical "angry, bald and bearded, macho man warrior" archetype, and TLOU1&2 portray Joel in the same way with hair on his head.

Every other character in those games are about as interesting as Joel, with Elly supposedly having "personality" for looking at nude magazines. Obvious plot issues abound that should have been obvious to all but the most obtuse.

The gameplay in both series are terribly linear and boring, often relying on the most basic concepts, which matched the boring storytelling.

If you want to get bold, make characters that have actual intelligence and personality. Since the creators of these games lack those things though, they can't possibly understand what that is. At the very least, stop relying on the same "puzzles" which revolve around pushing blocks, etc, having forced barriers, and a general lack of movements because you can't figure out how to create a story while giving players freedom.

@thefourfoldroot Are you part of a militant group that thinks seeing boobies is daring? Daring would be to show something that is truly adult, not gratuitous sex/nudity, and violence. I just love people like you who call something mindless because your little mind can't fathom a concept beyond it's limited intellectual capacity. Keep watching tentacle porn to prove how intelligent you are.

You gotta love these comments. Between the ones that say make something other than 3rd person action adventures games as if we didn't just get Returnal and Astro's Playroom. To the comments saying Sony needs to make a 'daring' FPS, RPG, or JRPG; which are themselves heavily established genres.

@thefourfoldroot Just watch porn. Or buy a PC.

All these comments prove my point that neither developers or game players have the most remote concept of what qualifies as daring. All your ideas revolve around simplistic game concepts, such as survival horror, as opposed to creating a story that at least rivals a decent movie, instead of the typical game story which does little but steal the most basic concepts from those movies and pieces them together in the most bland and unoriginal way possible.

@gamerdude666
Daring is showing whatever, without thought for what small minded people might think and complain about. It really is that simple. Nothing daring about following sales trends and hiding from “special interest groups” in order to avoid criticism.

@nessisonett
I do watch porn, occasionally. I also have sex, doesn’t mean the decimation of any game that had “risqué” content is unimportant… I also go to concerts/gigs, listen to Spotify, yet still complain if a game has terrible music; I read books, yet still can complain if a game has a horribly disjointed story, etc, etc. You see, just because there is more specialised media and activities out there doesn’t mean we can’t criticise media that is designed to be multifaceted.

@thefourfoldroot The sort of games you’re talking about are basically the McDonalds of sex though, cheap, nasty and consumed primarily by divorced men and children.

The comments here are weird. It's like they're acting like we didn't get cool platformers like Sackboy or Astro Bot.

@nessisonett
I’m neither divorced nor a child, nor ashamed to say I want to play Omega Labyrinth Life Damn it! Lol (I also like the Chicken Legend with spicy Mayo)

I wish they were fierce and daring enough to give Days Gone 2 the green light. Especially after that secret ending.

@naruball No, that's true, it hasn't.

Let's hope it remains just a rumor.

@thefourfoldroot @nessisonett
“Omega Labyrinth Life is a Rogue-like RPG where female characters brave dungeons. This game contains partial nudity, sexual themes, harsh language, and content that may not be suitable for all ages. Although it does not contain any graphic sexual content, it does have a mode where characters can be touched and as such may not be appropriate for the workplace. All characters in the game are over the age of 18.”

Srsly dude, this just sounds gross. I have no issue with sexual and explicit content when it serves the story or the themes being explored but this kind of game is for those who just want to watch anime tiddies bounce and has always been the biggest issue I have with Japanese culture. I love me Japan and I would love to visit it someday. I think it does a lot of things right but the way it treats/portays females in media and in actual rl is gross. The objectification and sexualization of 'young women' in Japan is just so...eughh.

@Iroha
🤷‍♂️ Sorry you have that issue with a Japanese culture. It’s a dungeon crawler. I’ve played many. Some lewd (Criminal Girls comes to mind) the majority not. I just can’t play this one because of the insulting censorship. I deliberately avoid giving platform holders and publishers money for mutilated games, whether that be the covering or removal of anime “tiddies” as you put it, green blood, or whatever.

Having said that, it is true that dungeon crawlers with scantily clad women are objectively better than the same dungeon crawlers without them.

Also: “ I have no issue with sexual and explicit content when it serves the story or the themes being explored”

I bet you also just read it for the articles right?, lol.

@thefourfoldroot
I bet you were one of the guys jeering when that girl asked the Blizzard guys for less scantily clad women in WOW too right?

Hey if you want to spend your days jerkin' it to scantily clad anime girls go on. Otaku gonna otaku right?

@Iroha
Lol, why would I do that when I’m married, plus have the internet?
To be completely honest, I did try it once when playing Criminal Girls on VITA, but the bus driver glared at me menacingly and killed the mood.

And I’m not aware of the blizzard case, but if someone wants fewer scantily clad women, that’s not the same as censoring or banning them all for ideological reasons, so doesn’t sound like a request I’d have issue with.

"Fiercely daring", LOL. What utterly coked-up, meaningless corporate drivel.

@thefourfoldroot
I'm at my work (I know) so I can't really give this the time it needs. I have QUESTIONS sir! lol I'll be back.

@Iroha
No problem, I’ll be here. I’m at home trying to entertain myself during the rather long grind needed for the final optional dungeon in Like a Dragon.

@thefourfoldroot Lets be honest here the small amount of people bothered by not having these is nothing special. I noticed something there is a really small loud group that wants this. Its really a niche i have a few of these games and if i look at them its nothing i could not live without.

I mean honestly if Sony's devs would just take a break from the cinematic titles I'd be down, especially Naughty Dog. Their games are just the worst. They use this same formula where there's small and super basic gameplay in between long and interesting cutscenes. I feel like if games like Uncharted and TLOU didn't have much cutscenes and setpieces I'd be incredibly bored with how lacking the gameplay is.

@thefourfoldroot Don't remind me, I have to go back to that once I have finished Hades.

@gamerdude666 I have no idea what your issue is with Ellie. I loved the first game so much one of my most favorite ever. I have not seen chemistry between characters on level like that before. The ending of that game was something i have seen a lot either.

And is it not daring to throw the story in a complete different way. If i hear how people get a meltdown about a girl is a FPS or God forgive a lesbian girl as a lead.

But feeling up girls that look like 15 years old is not a problem because it says they are 18 years old. Rubbing boobs of woman yeah thats special, grabbing women that next level. 🤪

@Flaming_Kaiser
Oh, I know that. The point is Sony are being anything but daring by folding. They know this small niche group won’t cause any fuss, whereas the other small niche group of diehard opposition will cause them problems. When it comes to the games they allow on their system, daring Sony are not. Quite the opposite.

@Iroha
I know I’ll never get back to it is the problem though. That’s the mistake I made with Diablo 3!

A lot of people complain about no special games but when they release they dont sell? But when they release no sales.

@thefourfoldroot Its always the same small group that goes on full meltdown. I have seen guys not buy a game because 1 second of a little girl panties where not in the trailer. The same group that goes on a full meltdown if we have lesbians in the game.

@Flaming_Kaiser
I very much doubt they are the same group. I’m in the first but most certainly not the second (well, I’m ignoring the “little girl” thing as no such thing exists so I’m taking it as hyperbole).

@Steel76 The ones you’re tired of are what sells consoles for Sony. It’s the only reason I have a PS5. It would be commercial suicide for them to pivot from that.

What a strange comments section.

I suppose they could always be more daring but at the same time every title can't revolutionize the industry.

Plus, are people really having trouble finding Playstation Studio games they enjoy?

Also don't understand who finishes a game and thinks, "would have been better with more TnA."

Sony is not one of the best publishers in video games.they are the best.god of war is the g.o.a.t . 👑.can we get a sly cooper collection remake and resistance collection remake.g.o.a.t. PlayStation.word up son

Tell that to Somy Bend & Days Gone. Clown statement

@Jacko11 is Days Gone all that daring though? seemed fairly bland to me. Daryl from TWD meets.... TWD in an open world video game.

I admit to not playing much of it so forgive me if that's not an apt characterization.

@zupertramp daring for a studio who went from a solid vita game to an underrated gem, yes….yes it is.

Plus the plans for the sequel they pitched, along with everything learnt from the first game, could have been huge.

Plus like you said, you never played much so maybe not the best person to want smoke 😂 but I get it, another ‘generic zombie pew pew game’

Look, I love Norse mythology and media that dabble on it, but how on Earth is that an example of creators being "brave"? It's been en vogue for years, for crying out loud, it's the go-to "cool" mythology to draw from.

That's like saying a medieval fantasy writer is brave for featuring dragons.

@zupertramp You’re 100% correct. Every single review out there stated the same, that it really was a generic game. The thing is, some people enjoy that and some don’t. But there’s no question about it being the opposite of daring.

@Jacko11 smoke? This is the comments section of a video game website; maybe reel it in a little. The stakes really aren't that high.

@Gaia093 you're certainly not wrong imo. Kinda never really saw the appeal in GoW personally. But I'd like to think there's more on offer under the PS umbrella than Kratos.

I encourage our teams to be fiercely profitable

@Gaia093 They plucked Kratos from his Greek mythology roots and plunked him down into Norse mythology, and they made it work despite these mythologies not really being all that connected. It's not the Norse mythology itself that was creative. It was the shift to revitalize the property that was bold. The change made sense within the story and developed a character that was feeling stale after killing the major players of the Greek pantheon and just being a rage monster all the time and nothing much else. Aging him up and growing his character to reflect on his follies and using his son as a character to further explore that development was a bold choice, given that it was a significant deviation from prior characterization.

@zupertramp i’m joking dude 🙄, it ain’t that deep

Dreams, Detroit, Horizon, Death Standing, Wipeout Omega Collection, God of War.

All best in class, all daring in their own way.

PS5 them farts out Astros Playroom, Demon Souls and Returnal. So there's another 3 genres taken care of.

If you want more first party variety then Im unsure what console you have invented.

@Jacko11 Just seemed a strange choice of words but fair enough. Sometimes hard to tell the children from the adults so that's on me I guess.

@zupertramp nar you’re right weird choice of words tbf, could have been said differently.

But I agree, hard to separate the two on this site sometimes

Even in this PR the emphasis is on storytelling instead of gameplay. Is this a film studio or a video game company, Herman?

Lol! The competition is literally releasing their old games again and basically rotating the same cartoony IPs..

And it does not matter - Sony is 15 to 17% of sales on their platform in a good year. They want to corner the 3rd person narrative driven games (All the 3rd person games are “the same” but the sea of 2D “go find a way” games are “innovative” 🤷‍♂️) they can go for it.

They are better at it than Nintendo or Microsoft by a mile

Obviously people finding “something else to play” in the other 83% of sales.The Narrative here is so illogical it is mind blowing.

I barely made it through the first handful of comments and I feel obliged to say what I’ve said before. Forgive me for being a broken record because I posted something similar the last couple times these comments come up about how bland Sony’s output is and how all they make is third person action narrative heavy games …

The reason the perception is out there is because those games are the ones that sell, get GOTY awards, and are the most beloved. Sony produces other games. The problem is no one buys them.

Dreams. Tearaway. Erica. Bound. Knack. Gravity Rush. Resogun. Returnal. Sound Shapes. Drive Club. Gran Turismo. The Unfinished Swan. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. MLB The Show. The Last Guardian. Concrete Genie. Sackboy A Big Adventure. Predator Hunting Grounds. Destruction All Stars. Astrobot….

Actually, they probably make just as many things that aren’t realistic narrative driven action stealth games.
And this isn’t even mentioning all VR stuff they do which I would definitely call “daring” and different.

I know they need more of certain genres and better mix of high quality in other areas, but some of their less popular games are really good, but they don’t sell. So it’s like people forget they exist.

So what I’d like to see from the masses of gamers who keep calling out Sony for being too one-note — go buy Returnal or Concrete Genie or Sackboy or MediEvil to show with your wallet that you want what you keep saying you want.

@gamerdude666 Regarding bland storytelling — From the sounds of things, I think you’d like Returnal. Yes, it’s third person shooter, but doesn’t feel like the typical output. It plays beautifully. But on the story side of things, the narrative is uniquely told.
Also, if you’d like something else avant-grade in the storytelling department, check out Death Stranding. Also has an innovative twist on third person action-stealth gameplay, but the story is pretty bonkers.
Also 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (I realize it’s not Sony published but it’s a PS4 exclusive) I think you’d really enjoy that from the sounds of things. Very innovative storytelling.
Also, you might go for Ueda’s games (The Last Guardian, Shadow of the Colossus, Ico) if you haven’t played them. Very ‘art-house’ cinema quality storytelling.
And also, Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls for that ‘unique narrative’ category, I’d say. The fans always say the story is amazing, but you really have to search for it, I guess.
Also, although I haven’t played it, I am surprised that you feel TLoU2’s story is bland, predicable, and unoriginal. I can’t speak from experience but the hysteria created on the internet about the game and its controversial themes has me thinking that it is indeed daring in its story and themes. I think the fact it tackled the “games don’t always have to be fun to be enjoyable or worthwhile experiences” or whatever the quote from Druckmann was, I think that was what Hulst meant by daring.

@Th3solution The problem with that list is most of that stuff is from the past, were not complaining about things they didn't do in the past, were complaining about them not doing much of that now. Sales are a tough metric to use because they severely underadvertised some of that content, it overestimated sales. Or overprice the content. MLB does sell, concrete genie is exactly what I want more of, yet even I was unaware of it's existence until it showed up on plus. I vaguely remembered it from the last e3 and then never heard about it again.

Returnal of weird. It's super niche all the way around. They tried to turn it into a cinematic adventure and market it as a blockbuster, and price it the same. Of course it was going to sell terribly. There's a disconnect between price, marketing, and sales expectations.

But to your request from the gamers that want this content, I'm sure most of us saying that are like myself. I did buy sackboy, tearaway, gravity rush, sotc, last guardian, knack 1, knack 2, medieval, some of them twice (vita). Which is my point, that's the content I've always bought Sony systems to buy. Naughty dog games, I wouldn't buy a console to play. So as they stop making content like that, I end up buying very little on playstation.

@NEStalgia You’re absolutely right about Concrete Genie. I bought it on launch day, mostly because I follow things on PushSquare and am an avid PS gamer, but Sony really sent that game out to die when they not only didn’t market it, but they dropped all the PS5 reveal news on the same day as the CG release, which completely buried the game under all that PS5 hype. I definitely don’t agree with that approach. I mean, the game wasn’t a masterpiece or anything, but was good and I wanted to support the smaller developers and like you say, I want to keep seeing these games being made, so I try to support them when I can by buying the games. Same with Returnal. Bought it day 1 largely to support the smaller developers.

And I see that you do the same but I think it’s probably rather optimistic to say that all the people complaining are likewise buying the smaller games.

As far as your point of recent output not being varied enough, I do think it’s not entirely the case though. The latter part of PS4 and the early PS5 releases are maybe a little lacking in the creative and less mainstream games, but I don’t think it’s near as bad as people are making it out to be. So for the sake of argument, I take out anything by Sony or Sony exclusive third party and only count games from 2020 and 2021 and I still see about 3 out of 20 games that fit this narrative of “stale story-driven third person action stealth game”. Those 3 being GoT, Spidey MM, and TLoU2. It depends how one would characterize Death Stranding DC and the Soulslike games like Demon’s Souls and Nioh 2., but I wouldn’t call those games “cookie-cutter” necessarily. Also FF7R might be considered bland boring 3rd person action, so say we throw those in and that’s still only 7 out of about 20 games released in the last year and a half that fit this current gripe people are having. So a whopping 35% of Sony’s recent games are this “awful iterative 3rd person narrative action trash” people are complaining about. 65% of their output is other things! I’d call that pretty decent diversity.

By the way, I’m not saying that you personally have to like these games. By all means, people gotta play what they like and I have no problem with it. I just can’t see why I keep seeing this come up that Sony doesn’t produce anything besides their popular tentpole titles. It’s like saying Nintendo only makes Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon games. Of course that’s not true either.

This is a lie and jim ryan is a hack. if you're not into single-player copy/paste third person templates with a story-driven narrative all the time , then theres basically nothing .

the library of what sony had with the ps1/ps2 was legendary. the ps5/4 isnt.

#FireRyan

@Voltan Because what they're doing suits your preference . the problem is they aren't making games for everyone anymore so what they're saying comes off as pretentious and dishonest .

@Nyne11Tyme It used to be God Of War , but were in different times now.

I really want another Socom game, I think it was partially related to Sony's marketing deal with Activision that stopped Sony from making more fps games. There hasn't been a fps since Shadow Fall made in house, unless I'm missing something? We have tons of IP collecting dust, we should look to reimagine those for the modern audiences.

"This is a lie and jim ryan is a hack. if you're not into single-player copy/paste third person templates with a story-driven narrative all the time , then theres basically nothing"

Gotta love the irony

@Ralizah I think the problem has arisen from the PS3 to PS4 gen. Because the games weren't backwards compatible, it made sense (sort of) to remaster and remake the good PS3 titles and release them on the PS4.

Trouble is, the PS5 IS backwards compatible with the PS4 so there's no need to remaster a remaster but New Playstation don't seem to get this.

I think you're absolutely right, the PS5 needs an injection of new IPs if it's going to shake off its PS4 Pro Plus image that I'm getting from it.

The lack of PS5 only games coming from Sony Studios is disturbing, and by that I mean ones announced with a title and a gameplay description, rather than some arbitrary 25 titles in production?
In the meantime I'm going to keep playing on the Pro (non-Plus) thanks 'cos one thing New Playstation are certainly doing well is supporting the old girl rather well for the foreseeable!

@naruball glad i'm not the only one thinking that but you beat me to it..also all these people complaining about sonys output or lack of just makes me wonder if they are actually happy owning a ps4/ps5 or if they would be happier playing some other platform where they would probably encounter the exact same issues they are moaning about here...

@zupertramp Yeah what could happen if a 100 million game.

@nessisonett honestly

@Northern_munkey they would simply never be happy with any console. Even if one of the old consoles that they claim to love were to be released today, they'd still find plenty of things to complain about.

Maybe they were happier when they were younger and life was simpler? Now they take their frustration from their everyday lives out on companies for not doing exactly what they want them to do (even if that is impossible).

Man, the PlayStation brand has become so boring over the course of the last 2 years that I barely care anymore. The abandonment of first party Japanese gaming, the boring state of plays, the no show at any gaming event, ps5 basically feeling like a ps4 pro2 and snoozing on their own services... pathetic

@sanderson72 what remaster is being remastered? Unless we're still treating a rumour as fact for some reason.

@tameshiyaku and yet here you are complaining..hell if the playstation brand has become so boring why are you trolling a playstation web sites comments section?

@naruball I assume the rumour might be a Last Of Us rumour from this very site:
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2021/04/talking_point_would_you_buy_a_ps5_remake_of_the_last_of_us

If true, it is sad as I can think of better things for Naughty Dog to be doing with their time. Hope it is just a rumour?

And of course there's the Skyrim remaster remaster but then again Bethesda seem to be happy thrashing that dead horse.

When it comes to PlayStation, there just ain't no pleasing people, recall how the PS4 was labelled the 'IndieStation' for it's heavy reliance and promotion of Indies, cue the last 4 years and suddenly 'SoNy DoN'T SuPPoRT MAH InDIEs' but whenever they host State of Plays and even the PS5 Reveal Event, the primary complaint ALWAYS seems to be Sony highlighting the Indies, so which is it? You want the Indies or not? Because there's so much mixed messaging that I don't think ya'll know what the hell ya'll want.

And of course you have those that believe PlayStation needs to create more Multiplayer Games, because god only knows that if there's one thing this industry needs is more Multiplayer Games (Sarcasm). PlayStation's biggest strength is their Single-Player Story-Driven games, and Sony's focus should remain where it excels, additionally PlayStation's strength is also what helps distinguish themselves from most developers because of just how few truly great Single-Player Story-Driven games there are nowadays, Multiplayer Games are a dime a dozen, whereas quality Single-Player Story-Driven games are becoming fewer and fewer by the year. Honestly if every PlayStation First-Party Studio came out tomorrow and revealed all upcoming games in development are multiplayer-centric, then I would consider that a serious downgrade and a waste of their talents.

And I'll admit that Sony being so silent lately is a tad annoying, but I also know that if Sony came out tomorrow and announced a slate of new games and updates to already announced games, the topic of discussion will fall on release dates / release windows and whether or not they announced it 'too early', but the same people who WILL complain the most are the ones that were demanding / begging for new games / updates to already announced games, so essentially they want news / trailers before they're ready, and proceed to to b@tch and moan when they show it too early.

I've said it before and I'll say it again; whenever it comes to Sony / PlayStation, they're damned if they do, damned if they don't.

@sanderson72 yes, but why does Sony get repeatedly criticized over a rumour? Sounds so bizarre to me. It's been mentioned so many times, that people are acting like it's officially confirmed. How many times have rumours been debunked in the past?

@thefourfoldroot

He's right though. And no need to apologize for our view of Japanese culture. The kind of stuff he's talking about - suspiciously young looking anime girls with big tiddies - brings one word to mind: Juvenile. It's played out and cliche. Kind of like most anime actually...

I'm not a prude either - I don't shy away from sex just because its sex (seems to be the main assumption people defending this stuff have). I just have standards. And if that sounds vaguely elitist, well I'm gonna come clean and tell you that I probably am.

For the record, I wouldn't change Japan if I could magically flip a switch. But - through the frame of Western mores and norms - well... they got some weird stuff going on let's just say.

Sony probably censors the stuff for the same reason I experience secondhand cringe on behalf of anyone with an anime decal on their car or a Naruto headband - they are embarrassed of that aspect of Japanese culture.

@Northern_munkey dude, I've been here for years and not some covert xbot troll. There was a different energy post PS4 launch. The community was heard and it felt like anything goes. Now all energy is dedicated to a hand full of tentpole games which are covered until exhaustion and all other studios struggle to get a bit of attention. It just feels like the ps5s current success is purely riding on the back of what the ps4 has build rather than having its own identity.

@3MonthBeef

The fundamental problem with what you are saying here, is that the PushSquare crowd is exactly the demographic that actually purchased Gravity Rush 2.

Turns out though, we are not even close to representing the majority opinion and thus Gravity Rush 2 undersold in the wider market. We are just a loud minority. Something worth remembering to the commenters on here. Our opinion does not matter to Sony, because the "unwashed masses" (sorry, I had to) will still buy every Call of Duty and every cash grab sports title over the Concrete Genies and Gravity Rush games of the world.

Who's to say which way is right and which way is wrong? I've got friends who just play Madden and COD and nothing else. I certainly know which strategy makes more money - hence a boatload of 3rd person action games and no Twisted Metal, no Silent Hill, no flying simulator games, no RTS, no SRPGs.

We have to accept the realities of the world, and it is what it is. (Sorry for tangent haha).

@tameshiyaku yet the games still remain great. Game shows mean nothing. At the end of the day, we got an excellent console (ps5) and the games of the last couple of years have been nothing short of amazing, hence the critical reception and commercial success.

I'd take great games over flashy shows, promises, and "communication with the fans" any day.

@UnlimitedSevens 100% this! Was about to write the same, but you beat me to it. Spending considerable time on pushsquare or online with likeminded people can give one the wrong impression about the gaming community, which (needless to say) is not a monolith. We're the loud minority.

@tameshiyaku well of course it is to a certain degree..the ps5 can play all the ps4 games you own via bc although granted it has various little issues with some titles..the ps5 is still very much in its infancy and before we know it there will be the titles showing what its really capable of..my criticism of you was with your whole demeanor towards the playstation brand and your utter disappointment in the ps4 and 5 and yet you still felt the need to comment even though you have this total dislike for everything playstation related..that is how you came across regardless of whether you actually really feel that way or you just didnt mean it and needed some attention because sonys dealt you a wrong un' over 2 generations of consoles which brings me back to my point and original question..if you are so unhappy with your playstations then why are you bothering to read and comment about it..

@tameshiyaku oh and i called you a troll not some covert xbox troll..nothing against xbox trolls at all..

@naruball I think the thing is by now, Sony should be advertising what a massively important studio like Naughty "Uncharted" Dog is working on for their new console.

Rumours are going to keep flying around and what concrete plans do we hear from Ryan, Hulst et al? So far, nothing. Their communication has been lacking to say the least in the current iteration of management.
PS needs a Layden-esque spokesperson who seems to care about the brand but, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be one in the current crop.

@sanderson72 should they, though? How many times have we heard that games shouldn't be revealed until they're quite close to release?

@UnlimitedSevens
So what you are saying is that your western standards and mores leads you to find such stuff not fun, but juvenile and embarrassing.

That’s fine. I respect all cultures as unique and valuable, and so all cultural conflicts as a positive. I respect your feelings and opinions, etc.

What I can’t respect is when one person or culture or company tries to claim superiority and act as bully or censor.

I completely disagree with your opinion. Because what you see as juvenile I see as a valid expression and art style; what you see as cringe I usually find funny; and what you see as cliched I recognise in every mainstream piece of art for consumption. But whatever. We are not really talking about what we like and dislike, just about censorship, whatever that censorship may target 🤷‍♂️

@thefourfoldroot

Thanks for understanding. I am a product of my culture and there is inevitably a strong bias in how I view the world - I couldn't escape it if I wanted to. I value innovation and "daring", as the article calls it, due to being a westerner. In my most humble of opinions, Japan does not excel at "daring". They are a tradition-bound, conflict-averse society. It shows in their creative output: very iterative, very samey, very been-there-done-that. Again, anime is a strong culprit.

For the record, I don't advocate Sony censoring anything - even things I personally find distasteful and I agree that is bullying and imposing moral standards. Also, I haven't fooled myself into thinking my opinion is some sort of moral law; it's just how I feel due to my upbringing. I grew up in the South and if I even brought up anime, I'd have gotten a beating in the schoolyard. So maybe I just need to open my mind a little, let my inner anime fan fly, I don't know. Do a little Naruto run down the street as people throw beer bottles at me.

Short version: Japanese media disturbs me but I agree 100% with you about the censorship.

I'm not gonna say anime isn't a valid form of artwork, because I don't even know what the word "art" encompasses anymore. But I stand by my statement it is deeply off-putting, juvenile, risk-averse, boring, and the sexual elements are lowest common denominator stuff (to me). But if people like watching blue haired girls with big eyes and short skirts, I won't judge them... out loud. And for the same reason I dislike these things (western values), I fiercely disagree anyone should be barred from a game or show, etc. just because I find it to be gratuitous and/or creatively bankrupt.

Like what you like and own it I say! Life's to short to care what strangers think anyways.

@UnlimitedSevens
I think if everybody simply took your view and didn’t judge out load then the world would be a better place (internally judging is inevitable of course). Unfortunately this is just what Sony are doing, likely because the legal or pr department say it’s the best thing for the bottom line. That is the very opposite of daring. It’s very safe, very insulting, and very sad.

@sanderson72 - So you want them to announce what they're working on before they're ready to announce it, and then proceed to complain about the fact they announced it too soon?

@JustPlainLoco No, just a straightforward "<studio name> is working on <insert tile name here> for the PS4/5" Maybe even add a "but it won't be out until after June 2023" but no promise of dates needed nor any in depth analysis, just some much needed PR from PlayStation.

@3MonthBeef

I've got a lot of baggage when it comes to anime. Cosplying strikes me as ridiculous on its face and probably the ultimate expression of nerd-dom. There's always this undercurrent of social awkwardness for those that do that stuff. Like broader society ousted them and that's how they cope and find meaning, by participating in that uber-nerd community. It drips of smelly teenage angst and self-consciousness.

Its an old school of thought and it is sort of gatekeeping. Its like, you can be this nerdy but don't cosplay, that's going too far. I understand it is irrational in a way, believe me.

I play a lot of video games and board games, and I understand to some that makes ME the nerd! Being a geek is cool now in 2021 so I'm told. I just need to get with the times (I am getting old and come from a different era).

Also, I completely agree people rarely pull off cosplay of anime characters without just looking like a weird, melted caricature of whoever they are dressing up as. Fantastical elements of anime are at odds with a real-life reproduction. Some do pretty good jobs though.

@Th3solution I haven't used the email address associated with this account for a couple years, and didn't even see your reply until today.

As for the games you mentioned, I'm sorry, but you're just proving that people playing games have no idea what a good story is.

I'm not saying that Death Stranding wasn't entertaining in a wacky way, but Kojima's story is full of plot holes and it comes across like a kid trying to tell an adult story, as all his games do.

At least in past games the gameplay was excellent. In DS all you're doing is doing a collectathon to try to build streets and banging into rocks until you're able to do that.

I'm curious if you've watched any movies that aren't the modern Marvel Universe flicks. If you've seen the original Star Wars, for example, I can't see how you would regard the stories in the games you mentioned as good, let alone great.

@gamerdude666 Well, it’s been a year and a half but I appreciate your reply nonetheless. The fact you took the time tells me you still feel passionate about the subject.

It having been so long, I’m not exactly sure of my exact thoughts and feeling at that moment and in the context of mid 2021, closely after the launch period of the PS5, but I can only respond now based on reading your and my prior comments and see if I can clear things up because I think you’ve got my intent all wrong.

You initially said, “I haven't played Returnal, but there isn't anything remotely bold about GOW or TLOU2…Obvious plot issues abound that should have been obvious to all but the most obtuse…The gameplay in both series are terribly linear and boring, often relying on the most basic concepts, which matched the boring storytelling…neither developers or game players have the most remote concept of what qualifies as daring. All your ideas revolve around simplistic game concepts [which] steal the most basic concepts from movies and pieces them together in the most bland and unoriginal way possible.”

So my response was just some examples of games you might try which don’t follow a linear “bland” or “unoriginal” storytelling format. I never said these games had “great” stories, per se. Simply, they have “innovative”, “unique”, “avant-garde”, “art-house”, or “daring” approaches to storytelling, which was the whole discussion I thought. These games, imo, have fresh ideas and different styles of narrative that work well to companion an interactive game playing experience. Because let’s face it, movies and games are consumed differently, inherent to the interactivity variable. I’m not sure Citizen Kane or To Kill A Mockingbird will translate well into a video game…

@gamerdude666 (continued, sorry for the length)…Actually, now is a good time to mention this discussion because I just watched the first episode of TLoU on TV and I thought the narrative didn’t hit as hard as it did when I was playing the game. The TV show is fine so far, but didn’t feel as epic and moving as the game was, imho. Watching Joel struggle is not as personal and visceral as controlling Joel though his trials.

And since I posted that 1.5 yrs ago, I did finally get around to playing TLoU2 and we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that game’s story. Although I didn’t think it quite reached the quality of TLoU, I do feel it was very “daring” and “bold.” I appreciate the way it subverted expectations so strongly, rather than churn out another similar storyline.

I do respectfully take issue with your assertion that my cinematic experience is limited to the MCU and my opinions or ability to judge a story is somehow uninformed or ignorant. I’m not sure what gave you that impression. If you’ve read the movie thread in this website’s forums you’d know I watch a variety of film, as well as dabbling in literature.

It’s fine. This is the internet. Opinions vary. And I don’t deny you yours and you’re more than welcome to dislike Kojima’s stories and TLoU and GoW. But I would like to hear your favorite games, especially those you feel did storytelling the right way. It’s easy to say “this game’s story and characters are bland” and “only obtuse people would like this plot”, but far harder to tell us what game storyline you think was well done. Please, share with me some of your favorites; even your favorite movies. (If you dare to disclose them and expose them to potential criticism.) I’d love to see some of your examples of the high watermark for gaming narratives and explain why you consider them good stories, and why they are daring, original, bold, interesting, and unique. I’m not really sure if what you’re looking for is a linear movie-like gaming experience or an open-ended and indirect one.