ATaco

@DennisReynolds
We'll need to wait and see how SB performs on PC to get a fuller picture. Not that I'm going to discount Clair Obscur's success but again that game is nearly a masterpiece in it's own right. Stellar Blade by my own admission doesn't stir the pot, it doesn't redefine the action game genre...and because of that, it wouldn't have stood out nearly as much if it didn't have an attractive main character to help win people over.

Bad games don't fail because of "wokeness"...but it helps. Good games don't succeed because they are filled with sex bait...but it helps.

@Stale-Bread
Seems the demographic is pretty big if they keep pandering to it and those that don't are struggling more and more.

The simple truth is that an average game with an attractive character will be an easier sell than one without. So those that want to avoid the male gaze really need to make sure their game is damn near a masterpiece to attract the crowd that only plays 9s and 10s.

But I thought she was being forced to walk around in a bikini and needed us to save her? 😢

I suppose that's why the big 3 are so hungry to turn more of their franchises into big TV shows and movies. It really does drive up interest in the old games.

@McBurn
Nope, Rine Factory 5 which I believe was only released on Switch and Steam.

Excellent, I skipped the last RF because it didn't release on PlayStation.

@LikelySatan
I just don't think you realize the blatant hypocrisy in this comment. You came into this article and called it embarrassing...all off of a single image? You know nothing about the game itself and you've already passed your judgement on it? And yet I'm the toxic one?

What you just did is the equivalent of passing by a hobby shop, seeing people playing cards inside and shouting "NERDS!" before walking off. It's just disrespectful and toxic and contributes nothing. We ALL need to do better.

@LikelySatan
Understandable. I might pop into doom articles and start calling the people who enjoy it murderers in training. All in jest I assure you!

@LikelySatan
An interesting bit of trivia. Here I play games like Nikke, ZZZ and all those other "gooner games" and yet I've never gotten a single ad like that. Perhaps they've mixed the two of us up?

@Frmknst
And it will make a crap ton of money, just like Nikke.

@CielloArc
I'd still consider Clair Obscure to have traditionally attractive characters though. Sure they didn't have sex dolls but they also didn't try to be brave and stir the pot with Concord designs.

Other devs could stand to learn a thing or two. Something tells me we'll get Stellar Blade 2 long before a lot of these other studios even push out another announcement that they're delaying their game for another year. These long development times are what's killing the hype. Nobody wants to get a trailer and then wait 2 years to actually get the game in their hands.

I'm the sort that seems to think the terrible months are great and these "average" months are pretty trash.

@NeonTiger
It always amazes me that comments like this are allowed to stay up for articles like this but would instantly be taken down in others. Why the double standards?

@SMJ
You are taking the game at face value and immediately dismissing it. I believe people call that "judging a book by it's cover".

I appreciate giving the game it's proper due. The artwork is indeed fantastic, the music is incredibly catchy and the story is certainly more than expected.

That being said, it still is a Gacha grind fest with all the free to play trappings. For some reason it also doesn't want you to see all it's content because it gets surprisingly difficult to clear even the normal mode at later stages...which is what I'm always confused by. Do they not want players to experience the excellent story? Normal mode should be relatively easy and THEN you make Hard mode require all the effort. I've fallen far behind and eventually gave up simply because I found getting through the story too grindy and difficult. Oh well, still hoping for a built from the ground up console game sometime.

It'll be on PS plus eventually. Even sooner now, looks like.

How do I apply to be paid for badmouthing a game? I'm such an idiot I've apparently been doing it for free!

I remember playing through this on the GameCube with my brother, good times.

Aw damn I got excited for a sec, thinking we'd get KC2. Should have known that offering would be too good to be true.

"That’s down 55% from the Season 1 finale, which scored 8.2 million cross-platform viewers, then an impressive feat given that it aired opposite the Oscars." The Oscars had 18.8 million viewers that year, for reference.

Tit for tat, it really does seem like retention is down, even if it was a holiday weekend.

Pretty soon every game will be a free to play gacha if Sony actually manages to get a foot hold in China. Though I wouldn't complain too much since Chinese developers seems to be releasing banger after banger.

I got at least $50 back in all the time I had it so it wasn't an insignificant amount but it needed better integration.

If you don't like Abby you're an incel hater. If you don't like Scarlet you're totally justified and a normal human being. Do I have that right?

The reality in this situation was that this was actually BETTER than what you had to do on the PS2. Atlus released vanilla P3 and then FES, meaning that if you wanted all the content as someone who bought a copy at launch, you would essentially have to purchase the game again.

Because Microsoft has done an excellent job firing thousands of employees so far. Now they can really let loose and start jacking up the price of gamepass.

What if this was secretly a proof of concept for them? Not only does this look like Nikke, it looks like a BETTER Nikke. Stellar Blade already made them a ton of cash, imagine how much they could make if they made a high effort Nikke game? I've since stopped playing the mobile version because I can't stand playing anything on phones but I'd 100% support a console release.

Those digital trophies will be completely annihilated. Hopefully nobody redeemed points for any of those because they are absolutely worthless!!

I've always hated Pitchford, the clown. Oh and a real fan surely knows about Pitchford's previous controversies. Allow me to enlighten people who might not know.

Randy Pitchford, CEO of Gearbox Software, has been linked to several controversies, with the most prominent involving allegations of financial misconduct and inappropriate behavior. In 2019, former Gearbox lawyer Wade Callender filed a lawsuit claiming Pitchford siphoned a $12 million bonus from publisher 2K Games for personal gain, breaching fiduciary duty. The lawsuit also alleged Pitchford left a USB drive containing sensitive company data and "underage" pornography at a restaurant, with some claims suggesting these were tied to so-called "Peacock Parties." Additionally, David Eddings, the voice actor for Claptrap, accused Pitchford of physically assaulting him in 2017.

These are all accusations and allegations of course...but why make stuff up about a nice and upstanding man?

I'd just buy Monster Hunter Rise. Test it out and if you like it you'll easily spend hundreds of hours in game.

I failed to get Vivian but that just guaranteed YiXuan so I guess that's good. I'm gonna assume they're going through make her Miyabi levels of broken so it'll probably be worth pulling for her.

@Judal27
Luckily steam has the refund system right?

That happens to be my favorite Nikke. The drunken Ronin...great choice for a crossover.

People here fail to realize that this isn't Bungie's first offense doing this. Or are you guys suddenly fine with art thievery?

Bungie has been accused of using art assets without permission at least four times, based on documented cases:

2021: Unauthorized use of art in the Destiny 2: Witch Queen trailer.

2023: Fan art was used in a Destiny 2 cutscene without permission.

2024: Fan art was incorporated into a Destiny 2 Ace of Spades NERF replica without credit or compensation.

2025: Artist Antireal accused Bungie of using her designs in Marathon without permission, with Bungie admitting to the unauthorized use of decals and designs.

How many times will they apologize and then do it again before the lesson sinks in? Having your feelings hurt sucks...but stop doing the thing then!!

Or you can buy a game like stardew valley or monster hunter and get hundreds of hours without having to pay the "premium entertainment" tax that's suddenly started popping up. I'd say vote with your wallets but people have absolutely zero self control nowadays. Immediate gratification is one hell of a drug.

I guess Honkai Star Rail will continue to reign supreme in the Gacha RPG sphere. I guess Atlus hates money or something.

China seems to be doing Japanese games better than Japan has been the past few years.

I'm looking forward to Ubisoft taking the opportunity to have a little break and discover more ways to nickle and dime us. I really wish every game they release flopped for the health of the games Industry.

I can wait as long as needed for a Rockstar game. Not like we're in a gaming drought or anything.

@TruestoryYep
It honestly remains to be seen. Nobody has had the guts to tackle anything even remotely religious (unless it's to paint it in a positive light, or so outrageously that it can't be taken seriously.) Especially not in current years when people are more sensitive than ever. That's the one topic that nobody dares venture to in the gaming sphere, which is why I'm more than surprised that Druckman is steering headlong into it. On second thought, it makes perfect sense since he likely feels untouchable at this point.

People can, have and continue to fight actual wars over religion. Let's not pretend that they stand on a pedestal and can be no less foolish than every other group of people out there. Also you're behaving like this isn't just 5 minutes out of my day that I'll immediately forget about once I finish posting this comment.

@Bingoboyop
Ah ah, that's not the point of articles like this. If Pushsquare REALLY cared they'd absolutely avoid broadcasting these situations so constantly. It's because these articles tend to get the angry clicks or the people jumping in to take yet another stab at the "sad sacks" that these keep being posted.

It's a sorry state of affairs that people would rather click on something that makes them upset instead of a genuinely positive article.

The religion thing might be their biggest controversy yet. Obviously they stated it's going to be fictional but you can definitely be sure that they're going make clear allusions to actual religions. Pissing off "chud incels" is one thing, pissing off religious nuts is another entirely.

I remember being told that people wouldn't behave this way because show watchers were a more sophisticated crowd than gamers. Turns out they're all pretty much the same.

I have nostalgia with enter the gecko but even as a kid I knew it was more frustrating than fun. Probably didn't help that I didn't watch movies so I didn't know any references besides the Star Wars ones. Besides that, these ports seem really bare bones and it leaves me wondering why they didn't just release the games as classics. Oh right, money.

As much as I hate the multiplayer aspect of these games, I cannot deny that they are masters of the single player experience.

I guess the saddest thing is that people actually pay for it, that's why they keep doing it.

@Vectrex
Do you REALLY want to compare this game to GoW 2 then? I doubt Captain Blood will fare much better...

That's also just the Atlus tax you're paying for.

Ten years ago I would pick up maybe 2 or 3 games a month. Now that's dropped to a whooping 0. I only pick up games that I know will be good and that I will put a lot of time into, no longer will I pick something up that I'm somewhat interested in because the price is just too high to make that gamble. I suppose I'm in the minority, however.

@Absymbel
*a pokemon game with effort put in.