Keep in mind this is from the same industry that's telling consumers they don't really own the digital games and content they legally pay for. Would it be that much of a stretch if they could "redefine" the parameters of digital rewards programs as well?
The videogame industry is long, LONG overdue for a wake-up call, but it will only happen when enough gamers vote with our wallets and refuse to accommodate their schemes.
As an avid hobbyist who's owned most major platforms since the Atari 2600 and thousands of games, I can't declaratively state that consoles are dying but I will offer my personal take on the state of the hobby and industry.
When I look at both my PS5 and XBox Series X, I honestly don't feel that either has come close to justifying my investment in them compared to previous generations in terms of games. Yes, they've both had some standout titles, but thanks to endless development cycles and games releasing all too often in a glorified beta state, the high points are fewer in number and further apart than before. Subscription models (which I will NEVER pay for; I buy the games I want, end of story) are the latest fad aimed at convincing consumers to accept not actually owning anything they play on those $500 consoles they invest in, and predictably they're already hiking the prices. It's also created a throwaway culture where online-centric titles routinely get their plugs pulled to disappear forever; game preservation is the last thing on publishers' minds.
Which leads into what "games as service" is doing to the hardware brands themselves. In short, if you're making a huge enough percentage of your profits from subscriptions, it begins to render dedicated hardware obsolete. So with GamePass already on multiple platforms Microsoft figures it's a good idea to put their games on PS5; Sony's putting theirs on the PC.
Problem is, when it comes time to launch their next console, what will it be able to offer that any other box can't when even first-party games are crossing the lines? So is it feasible that dedicated consoles as we know them could be in danger of disappearing? Maybe.
Speaking for myself though, my buying decisions always come down to the GAMES. If quality games are there...and AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE AND OWN...then I'll continue supporting the industry. If subscriptions ever become the sole way to access future games, however, I will walk away from the hobby and never look back.
@TrickyDicky99 Chicken or egg? It's easy to just dismiss the PSVR2 as a sales failure, but it would at least have had a much better chance to succeed had Sony actually bothered to support it beyond a couple of early titles. You don't release a new piece of hardware, let alone one that costs more than the base system itself, without plans in place to support it...and yet that's exactly what Sony did. FIRST-PARTY EXCLUSIVES could have made all the difference for a library whose games can almost all be played on other platforms. The PSVR2's failure is on Sony and I guarantee that those who made this investment will never forget that breach of trust.
Guess the showcase is just another reminder that Sony has left the PSVR2 and its users behind. Actually, they did that after Horizon Call of the Mountain and Gran Turismo 7. If they haven't done anything else by this point, folks, they aren't going to (and that PC adapter isn't NEARLY enough to make everyone who plunked down that $500 forget that).
Frankly they haven't missed much, IMHO. As has been the case with every console generation dating back to the NES and Sega Master System, I own all the major platforms (PS5, XBox Series X, and Switch...which really counts as previous gen); I have to say that in terms of truly must-play games, especially first-party, this is the worst I've ever seen.
Just my personal take, mind you, but I think it has much to do with so many titles now announced literally years before release and all too often releasing in glorified beta states full of bugs, glitches, and so much content and features (especially if they're new installments of long-running franchises) left on the cutting room floor and/or later offered as DLC. The industry has simply become too greedy, and the focus on maximizing system power to provide some sort of cinematic eye-candy has outstripped that of making tight, mechanically sound, and most importantly FUN games. You wonder why so many developers routinely get axed and hundreds of staff laid off nowadays, that's the biggest reason; just as subscription models and online-centric games have quietly done, everything now is simultaneously ultra-expensive and yet disposable. Fewer games are being made with offline replay value, let alone ones that will stand the test of time. Sony even left PSVR2 buyers twisting in the wind after making only Horizon:Call of the Mountain to give it first-party support, but of course they now want PS5 owners to upgrade mid-gen to another piece of $500 hardware that, thanks to subscription models, a lot of gamers won't actually own anything on and their experiences are gated and controlled from the other end.
Incidentally, I still find that my Switch sees far more actual play time than my PS5 and Series X combined. It offers more variety, quality, and especially first-party games that carry value and longevity. And perhaps ironically and counter to so much of the industry's emphasis, many of its titles still look and play "like videogames" as opposed to interactive movies.
Again, just my personal take. Not saying there aren't any truly great games this console generation, but I've soured on the industry as a whole. It's stolen the innocence of the hobby that I fell in love with four decades ago, the one whose industry was humbled by the lessons of the Great Crash during the mid-1980s and had to restore the faith of consumers. Those lessons seem long forgotten now.
Hot Shots Golf 3 on the Playstation 2 was my personal introduction to videogame golf, and I loved every iteration thereafter. The series' crisp, vibrant visuals and varied courses were always a joy to experience, and its rock-solid mechanics and multiplayer capabilities made it a go-to for me for years.
Needless to say, I was hugely disappointed when I learned that Clap Hanz had left Sony's platform. Quite frankly a new Hot Shots/Everybody's Golf entry for the PS5 would fill an immense void for a console that, for me at least, still hasn't come close to offering the variety of genres and multiplayer options of generations past..
On that note, I already preordered Ultimate Swing Golf for my Quest 3, because I trust Clap Hanz to deliver an experience on par with those previous great memories. That's money that Sony left on the table when they let this awesome studio go.
As a consumer who owns both a PS5 and PSVR2 I likewise find myself asking the question of how to justify yet another hardware upgrade when three years on the existing hardware has seen so little in terms of first-party games I care about playing and Sony seems to have left me and other PSVR2 owners hanging in the wind with zero first-party titles since Horizon: Call of the Mountain. The modern gaming industry has created a throwaway culture with subscription models and consoles they want you to move on from every 3 to 4 years, and when you combine that with so many "AAA" games in development for years only to be released as glorified (and non-refundable) betas, that simply isn't sustainable. Even lifelong hobbyists like myself are already weighing other entertainment options.
@GamingFan4Lyf I absolutely agree that having capable competition with the same licenses would be huge for sports games. Just as Madden was able to sit on its laurels and churn out games with minimal improvements or innovations for years after gaining exclusivity to the NFL license, Sony and San Diego Studios are now doing with MLB: The Show. Without competition to offer potentially better features, visual enhancements, and innovation to lure consumers away, they have no incentive to significantly improve their product year to year. And that has inevitably resulted in stagnation.
Here we are halfway through the PS5's purported "life cycle" and MLB: The Show still looks like a last-gen title. Certainly part of the blame goes to cross-gen compatibility holding the bar down for the past three years, but now there should be no excuse. Unfortunately, San Diego Studios prioritized stuff like women in MLB over bringing the visuals up to the quality one should expect from the "latest and greatest" (and again, now 3-plus year-old) hardware. The annual drip-feed of incremental features and scarcely noticeable improvements is all too familiar; MLB: The Show has become the new Madden, and that isn't a compliment.
Sega really needs to hand the Shining Force franchise over to Vanillaware. Whether it's a remake of SF III or an all-new iteration, I'm betting they would restore it to the beloved status it once had.
I loved the original Moogle design and have to agree that the changes are a bit jarring. I definitely prefer the pointed ears and other features that made them more cat-like. I also think the proportions are a major source of the complaints. They had a cute and whimsical air about them before, but now...well, let's just say they look "off". But, for better or worse, it is what it is now.
The map when you activate a quest reminds me a lot of Sega's classic Saturn SRPG, Dragon Force. Enemy forces move in real time between set points, and it's crucial to have sufficient units (of the right type; Archers beat flying units, Dire Mages can stop Zombies, and Dragons will plow through everything except Samurai...which are pretty average against everything else) ready to capture enemy fortifications or defend your own. Oh, and because your army can grow to include over 100 generals, each leading a force of up to 100 troops, Dragon Force has a RIDICULOUS amount of micromanagement.
Man, I really wish Sega would revisit some of their classic RPGs and SRPGs again. Dragon Force, Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon Saga...back in the day Sega's reputation with the genre was every bit as respected as Vanillaware's is now.
Dead on regarding Fire Emblem; I barely finished one playthrough of Three Houses and simply quit roughly halfway through Engage because I was sick and tired of all the vapid, meaningless padding intruding upon both the core storyline and the strategic gameplay. Nintendo went WAY too far in trying to "appeal to more gamers" with FE; they've turned it into something that's alienated many of us who loved it to begin with.
PSVR2 was my personal introduction to VR, and I was blown away by titles like Gran Turismo and Red Matter 2 in terms of sheer immersion and environmental details. But its lack of backwards-compatibility with most PSVR games as well as its lack of 3D movie functionality hurt it.
Its biggest drawback, though, has been the cord, without a doubt. Having since purchased a Quest 3, the ability to enjoy VR wirelessly, not to mention its compatibility with PCVR games, has seen it almost completely take over my attention from the PSVR2.
I'll always remember and appreciate PSVR2 for opening my eyes to the possibilities of VR, however. And if it does in fact add PC functionality, I will definitely be using it a lot more in tandem with the Quest for multiplayer sessions with friends and family.
PSVR2 was my personal introduction to VR and I will always be grateful for it; games like Gran Turismo and Red Matter 2 opened my eyes to just how immersive it can be. Having since then also purchased a Quest 3 I've found that each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but having an extra headset to play multiplatform titles like Walkabout Minigolf with friends and family is a win across the board.
That's where I see PC compatability as an exciting development for the PSVR2. Anything that adds more game options to its catalog is a positive thing, and at least some of those could bridge the gap to enjoy side-by-side with someone using the Quest.
I backed this game on KickStarter when the campaign began probably 2 or 3 years ago. Everyone backing knew upfront that it would be a long and ambitious road toward seeing the finished product, but it was likely the closest thing we'd ever get again to another Suikoden game. The more time went by and the more details regarding Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes were revealed, the more it seemed our faith in the developers' vision (including Murayama-san) was well founded. He and his team really have poured their hearts and souls into this project, and it's a true shame that he won't be around to savor the warm reception I'm sure his work will receive once the game launches.
Thank you so much for the memories, Mr. Murayama. The Suikoden series is one of my favorite JRPG franchises ever and I'm confident that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will more than live up to that pedigree. You will be missed, sir.
I remember the embarrassment of riches that came alongside my new Playstation 2 on launch day: TimeSplitters, Killzone, SSX, and then a plethora of new games in the months and years that followed, all at a brisk and steady pace. My PS3 likewise saw a rapid and consistent pattern of high-quality titles (and by high-quality I mean more than just eye candy and non-interactive cinematics). But the current console generation? What's there is very few and far between, and all too often so-called "AAA" games are releasing to the public as glorified betas still riddled with glitches, bugs, and features missing from installments on previous iterations. We're paying more ($59.99 to $79.99 now on average) for less overall quality and content, and subscription models (something I personally will NEVER support as I prefer to OWN and CONTROL my legal purchases) have created a throwaway culture where online-centric titles are constantly getting shut down and swept aside for "the next big thing", and both Sony and Microsoft are trying to train the masses into supporting "1.5" or "Pro" hardware halfway through each console generation...all to play fewer and fewer games that they don't even own anymore. And as an avid hobbyist since the Atari 2600, I feel the current generation is returning by far the least amount of quality and quantity for my investment.
Want to know why my Switch library is several times larger than my PS5 and XBox Series X ones combined? Simple, it releases games (including genuinely high-quality first-party Nintendo titles) at a brisk and consistent pace. So many folks like to harp on Nintendo having less powerful hardware, but let me ask, how powerful does it really have to be? Bleeding-edge, photorealistic visuals require enormous time and personnel commitments (ergo the constant news about layoffs), and too many developers, even the "AAA" ones, have struggled to produce even finished games, let alone games whose overall quality in gameplay, mechanics, and content are able to match those graphics. System power has outstripped the ability of developers to continue producing steady releases, and the pressure to do so has burned out many of them and led others to jump ship; as for the games themselves, it's led to a sharp drop-off in overall quality, content, and features.
In short, perhaps the biggest reason Nintendo is so successful despite supposedly inferior hardware is that their games still look and play "like videogames"; simpler, more animated aesthetics and rock-solid gameplay and mechanics, and yet they take a fraction of the time your typical PS5 or XBox release does to develop. And ultimately it always, ALWAYS comes down to THE GAMES.
Microsoft isn't the only console maker who's facing a reckoning with regard to the emphasis on system power over everything else; Sony needs to look hard in the mirror at that 18-month gap and ask, through the lens of their consumers, what that $500 piece of hardware is actually for.
Maybe it would also have done better had Sega released more games from its older IPs instead of a glut of Sonic titles and remakes over the past few years (and there are avid fans of Sega RPGs not named Yakuza while we're on the subject). There is such a thing as oversaturation and consumer fatigue; while Mario and Zelda may be its two "pillars", Nintendo understands this and at least continues to offer a broad spectrum of first-party IPs across a wide variety of genres in between those releases.
As a PS Plus member since the PS3, I was going to look over the PS Plus games deals this week only to get an unpassable "Upgrade" prompt; ditto the "Essentials" tier being excluded from any re-up discounts. So not only has the annual price of PS Plus jumped from $49.99 across the board to $79.99 FOR THE LOWEST TIER (and THREE TIMES THAT at $150 for "Premium") within roughly 2 years, but folks in the Essential tier literally get treated like we're not worth Sony's interest anymore. Basically Sony wants us to pay dozens of dollars MORE (on top of a 75% increase already) just to be able to access the same benefits we used to all enjoy, more or less. Folks, that isn't mere "capitalism", it isn't "the effects of COVID", the "economy", or whatever, it's just pure, unadulterated, ugly corporate GREED.
I personally all but stopped bothering to add "free" games with my Plus subscription years ago; I always purchase whatever games I'm interested in, and that's provided me with more than enough of a backlog. But I did get a lot of use from the regular Store discounts, and actually the core purpose for renewing my subscription each year has been to keep my game saves backed up in cloud storage (which saved me during at least one console failure). But the cost of this program, coupled with the strong-arm methods Sony is employing to "encourage" users to upgrade (expecting gamers to just bend over and take it yet again like the analogy of a frog in a kettle of water being brought to boil) has me seriously considering letting my existing sub lapse this time around.
Sega may say they have valuable IPs, but when all they want to release is a constant glut of Sonic and Yakuza games it kind of rings hollow, and nowhere is that more evident than their track record of dealing with Western consumers. Fans have been begging for a new (or even remaster of the original) Skies of Arcadia for years (two full decades, actually). In fact there are numerous IPs that Sega has just sat on for 20, 25, or even 30 years or more at this point, franchises that had avid fan bases.
A great example is Shining Force; SFIII was an INCREDIBLE 190-hour epic SRPG that the West only saw the first of three interlocking Scenarios of because Sega couldn't be bothered to finish the job. Panzer Dragoon Saga was one of the most ambitious RPGs of its generation yet only received 3,000 copies for the entire North American market. And we'd never have gotten the likes of Dragon Force, Magic Knight RayEarth, Albert Odyssey, or Iron Storm had it not been for Working Designs, who eventually left for Sony because Sega treated them with disdain. Even Sega's own legendary in-house development teams like Team Camelot got so fed up with the meddling of upper management that they left to found their own studios. M2 was shut down from continuing their awesome work on the Sega Ages series for Nintendo Switch. Shenmue 3 required a Kickstarter to exist, and most of the recent non-Sonic "Sega" releases like House of the Dead and Panzer Dragoon Remake have been outsourced to third-parties with middling results. The list goes on and on.
And don't even bother with the "Those games didn't sell" argument; the reasons for that fall squarely on Sega's shoulders. No company has done less with more than Sega over the past two-plus decades.
"We have valuable IPs". Put your money and effort where your mouth is, Sega, because history shows you treat the vast majority of your IPs and their fans like crap.
@RachaelWest Thanks so much for the personal response, Rachael. Everything you said comes as an immense relief, so please pass my thanks along to the team for ironing out the kinks before release. I very much look forward to playing the game!
This has been #1 on my VR "To Get" list since its original announcement, so obviously hearing about these bugs is a huge disappointment. Folks, there is no sane reality where it's acceptable that you would have to skip puzzles in a game to progress due to bugs.
As a hobbyist it angers me that this has become a "norm" to release games in unfinished, glitchy states thanks to A) online connectivity, B) the eradication of consumer rights (digital media, no refunds, and EULAs), and C) corporate greed and laziness. This console generation, in my memory, has released more garbage and less overall content and value per dollar than any before it, and yes that includes multiple "AAA" titles. The industry is capable of doing better, both by their products as well as by us as consumers. And we should hold them to the higher standard they once had by voting with our wallets and refusing to buy any game that isn't PROPERLY finished and COMPLETE.
Nobody who cares about the long-term health of the hobby wants live service games. It's just another gimmick for developers to get away with releasing unfinished, often buggy products while charging consumers for "additional content" that either should have been included at launch or is completely superfluous. Gamers' consumer rights have evaporated since online functionality became mainstream; EULAs have created a situation where they have no recourse and no say while (the larger) publishers have gotten richer than ever for less and less effort, quality, and accountability. There's no concern about game preservation either because so many online-dependent titles are simply being shut down forever; it's become a throwaway culture. Basically greed and laziness are strangling the hobby and ruining some of its biggest and most beloved franchises.
I will never bother with anything that's locked behind a subscription model; people are being trained to buy $400 consoles (which they've been trained to replace "mid-generation" now via "Pro" models) and pour endless money into content they neither own nor control anymore, and it's helped enable the current situation of unfinished, glitchy game releases and online-centric titles that get unceremoniously shut down; it's a throwaway culture where the end user has no rights and no meaningful voice.
I much prefer being able to permanently purchase games and bought a ton for XBox's Backwards-compatibility program. And I will always vote with my wallet accordingly, no matter what games or platforms are offered via subscriptions.
More $$$ for less effort, content, features, and quality and STILL more $$$ and control over users' experiences after the initial point of sale; that's the driving force behind "live service" and pretty much every major (especially online) business model pushed by the videogame industry. Look at what's happened to local multi-player features as of late in games like Halo Infinite and Forza; we have the most powerful consoles and largest displays in the history of the hobby and yet the excuse for not including splitscreen is "technical limitations", which is a LIE. It's really because any time players spend offline is time their experience can't be gated, controlled, monitored, or exploited for more $$$.
I just finished Lloyd's initial patrol of Crossbell. The game visually looks sharper and crisper than any previous entry, and it's nice to see so many familiar characters for the first time in 3D form. My only issue thus far is that moving around feels somehow stiff and disjointed; approaching NPCs and other characters to initiate conversation requires far more effort than it should. Actually it slowed my progress in exploring to such a degree that I took multiple breaks away from the game just in this section, something I never had a problem with before in Trails games. I'm not referring to the lengthy dialogue that's always been a hallmark of the franchise; I'm talking about movement and interactions that feel absolutely glacial, deliberate as opposed to natural. Even as a huge fan who's also a completist I imagine it's going to be tough to deal with over the course of dozens of hours of gameplay.
Sick to death of Sonic personally, specifically because Sega has relished so much attention and marketing on it while abandoning almost all their other franchises. Especially the amazing RPGs like Shining Force and Skies of Arcadia. Two-plus decades on we haven't seen anything from either. No company in the industry has sat on more AAA properties and done nothing with them than Sega.
If Sega did a serious, first-party effort into one of their iconic RPG properties like Skies of Arcadia or Shining Force I could see myself supporting them (even at $70, because if they aren't supported it's a sure thing we'll never, ever see them again). But Sonic, Yakuza, Monkey Ball? I don't even bother with those when they're on sale.
You have to justify the investment to the consumer before you go talking about price hikes. With the exception of the Valkyria Chronicles games (not counting Azure, yet another ill-advised attempt to "mainstream" an SRPG IP), Sega has utterly failed to do that for two decades running, in my humble opinion.
Couldn't care less about Sonic after more than two decades of Sega running him out there with hit-and-mostly miss results time and time again while they've ignored a literal mountain of some of the greatest IPs ever made. 20 years since Skies of Arcadia, 25 since Shining Force III, 30 since the last offline Phantasy Star. So many incredible coin-ops collecting dust instead of being put into a compilation. The Saturn and most of the Dreamcast catalogs continue to go untouched.
Maybe most of those IPs aren't as profitable as Sonic has been, but they're remembered as some of the best the hobby has ever seen and appealed to fans of a wide variety of genres, and by now most would be seeing an entirely new audience anyway. Look at how profitable Fire Emblem has been for Nintendo, for example; Shining Force could absolutely experience the same renaissance if given the chance.
Sega's development teams have made some of the greatest games in the hobby's history, but you wouldn't know it from how their upper management treated them (Team Camelot), their localizations (SF III only getting the first of three interlocking Scenarios released in the West, Panzer Dragoon Saga only seeing 3000 North American releases, most of their Saturn-era RPGs having to be released by Working Designs to come here at all), or their (near complete lack of) marketing. If you read the history of Sega, you'll still love their games, not so much the corporation itself.
Maybe there's another reason Sonic is "one of their best-selling franchises"; it's pretty easy when it's about the only one they bother making or promoting.
@kcarnes9051 Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean you hate them, and believing a behavior is amoral isn't bigotry. Bigotry by definition is an irrational and unjustified hostility toward a specific group. Maybe you don't agree with, say, Christians or Muslims for believing LGBTQ behavior is a sin, but guess what: their beliefs are, to use your own words, part of the essence of their very being and that encompasses a LOT more than just opinions on that one topic. To just dismiss them or anyone else as bigots or "intolerant" for holding to traditional values civilized societies have adhered to for centuries is the very definition of irony. After all, didn't they review bomb Hogwarts Legacy because of Rowling's personal views? Talk about double standards.
I believe we've said enough here. Neither of us is going to change the other's mind. Take care.
@kcarnes9051 And again, as I said in my OP, there are a lot of people who disagree with LGBTQ lifestyles and consider them amoral. That's always been at the core of what this is about: two diametrically opposed and irreconcilable sets of viewpoints of basic morality, right and wrong, even nature itself. In short, sexuality is a lightning rod in entertainment when aimed at the general public because it is a deeply moral issue for many people. Maybe you don't agree with them, and again, that's your right, but Aloy's story never had to go "there". Because it did, it alienated a lot of folks who just wanted to enjoy an epic adventure and escape from all the real world's crap, not be reminded of it by yet another corporation's intrusive virtue-signaling. And that isn't good for anyone involved in the long-term, including the hobby.
The fact we've gone back and forth like this is evidence that Guerilla made a bad choice here narratively, because this isn't what videogames are supposed to be about. It's also evidence that the review bombings aren't about "selective outrage", but rather that a lot of people have strong feelings on the subject. Legitimate feelings.
@kcarnes9051 Believe it or not, some gamers don't care for sexual content in ANY context for the same reasons that some folks avoid movies or TV shows over excessive violence, profanity, or sexual content, whether it's because they have young children, due to religious beliefs, or simply personal taste. Most don't try to tell anyone else what they should be playing or watching; they just do their best to tailor their entertainment accordingly in an environment where it's steadily becoming more difficult, even with so-called "family" shows and media. Try and put yourself in the shoes of such a person, if only for a moment; how many "AAA" games right now would you feel comfortable playing? How often do you see the games industry or media going out of their way to cater to those folks and make them feel "included"?
As I said in my OP, Aloy had been an avatar for ALL players (and while it contains some violence and mature themes, the Horizon franchise is no Witcher) up until Guerilla's "creative decision". What would have been your reaction had she, say, found and donned a "MAGA hat" artifact (yes I realize it's an absurd example but I guarantee an incendiary one, and that's exactly my point)? Depending on your personal politics you might do some review-bombing yourself for the same reasons: A) it's completely irrelevant to the theme of the game and everything you've been doing as Aloy for dozens of hours, and B) suddenly she doesn't reflect you or what you identify with/as because, in an instant, some writer took that connection you had for all those hours away and made her their own vehicle.
Blanket-dismissing others' concerns or disagreement over this as "selective outrage" is in itself selective hearing.
@NEStalgia I sincerely apologize if my post was "spoilery" for anyone; I assumed the topic was common knowledge based on the numerous articles and user responses I had seen.
I had seen the headlines about "review bombing" over the past week but wasn't aware of why it was happening until yesterday. I'm not leaving a score here as I'm just now playing through the first game, but I've read both the reasoning for the low reviews as well as other people's reactions and wanted to offer some thoughts.
Videogames are a different animal from books and films in one key area: the player directly interacts with the main characters and influences the story and the world around them to at least some degree. The character is your avatar; there is a natural tendency to identify with a character and to subconsciously project one's own words, values, and moral compass onto them.
Nintendo Life ran a poll last week about whether Link should be voiced. One could offer similar questions regarding Master Chief removing his helmet. The reason such characters have stood the test of time and become iconic isn't merely because they're part of great games; it's because players can fill in the blanks in that silence with their own imaginations, it could be ANYONE under that helmet. This strengthens players' connections with them in very special ways. The instant you change that formula, you break that connection because the character becomes someone else's vehicle.
How does that apply to Aloy? First, consider what the Horizon games are about thematically. She's a former outcast traversing a post-apocalyptic landscape full of various tribal characters and robotic dangers. There's dozens upon dozens of hours' worth of exploration, item collecting, hunting, task completion, and engaging storyline. And up until Burning Shores Aloy did all of that as an avatar for the player...ANY player, regardless of personal beliefs or sociopolitical leanings.
I've seen a lot of spleen directed at those who take issue with the LGBTQ direction Guerilla took here, using words like "bigots" and "intolerant", but those words in and of themselves are ironic and hypocritical. Like it or not, a lot of people still believe LGBTQ lifestyles are amoral and destructive, whether based on religious beliefs or simple moral convictions. You may vehemently disagree and that's your right...but put the shoe on the other foot. My point is that the instant Guerilla took Aloy's story in that specific direction, she became someone else's vehicle to many, many players, the same as if her romantic interest had been male.
The bottom line is that this and most other videogames thematically have absolutely nothing to do with a given character's sexuality. It's at best superfluous and unnecessary, and inserting such content, whether to "check off a box" or to push a particular sociopolitical agenda (let's be honest, having the female leads of two of Sony's flagship IPs be LGBTQ is going WAY past mere "representation"), is a lightning rod that only serves to alienate and divide players.
@ztpayne7 If one of those games happens to be GT7, apparently it still requires the regular PS5 controller. I tried repeatedly to get the DualSense to work with it until I did some research online. Of course Sony could have communicated this a lot better considering GT7 is one of the most prominent PSVR2-compatible games AND is first-party. Anyway, I just wanted to share this in case anyone else is having similar issues.
@Futureshark Mine are already on their way from Germany. They cost about $110 US for all the "extras" (blue light protection, etc.) and shipping. Their communication was also excellent.
I used to be an avid FF fan, but the franchise's switch from turn-based mechanics where you could micromanage your entire party in battle while reclining on the couch to brainless button-mashing combos absolutely killed it for me. Still pretty games to look at, but they should have at least left the option to retain the turn-based battles for those of us who prefer them.
I can't say whether the speculation is overblown, but there are several factors to consider. Sony only recently made the PS5 itself readily available outside of having to join a limited queue or pay through the nose to a scalper. COVID or no, it was a rough, ROUGH launch. So two years on a lot of people still haven't yet even purchased a PS5, let alone considered a peripheral that costs even more. Ditto "AAA" first-party, current-gen games support; outside of Horizon: Forbidden West and God of War, there hasn't been that much to draw consumers to the main console yet that can't be found on competing platforms. So price point aside, PSVR2's "slow start" may not be its own fault so much as the fact that the PS5 itself is still trying to recover from one.
I bought a PSVR2 so obviously I'm rooting for it to succeed. But Sony has to put in the effort to make that happen with marketing, making it readily available (that means including brick-and-mortar retailers), putting kiosks out in public for people to try, and most importantly gathering as much quality GAMES support as possible, including the likes of Beat Saber, Half Life: Alyx, and other proven system-sellers. They also need to expand PSVR2's functionality because frankly it's embarrassing that the original PSVR enables users to view 3D movies and sporting events while PSVR2 users can't. Kinda undermines the whole "superior architecture" vibe.
I've said it before and it bears repeating: if PSVR2 fails, it's entirely on Sony. And if it does, it's going to alienate every consumer who took a chance on it.
To me, "retro" is ultimately and inevitably going to mean one key, heartbreaking thing: games that can still be accessed either in physical form or via emulators. In the current age of so many digital-only releases (especially when they're online dependent) and subscription models, videogames have become throwaway items. Once the servers get pulled, or the corporations move on to another model, or once each generation's online store closes, thousands of games are going to disappear forever (and countless ones already have). Ditto licensing issues; many incredible titles may never exist again simply to to rights issues or expired licenses. Only games with physical discs, cartridges, or other media will remain to be played on aging systems or dumped onto ROM sites. The PS3 may qualify as a retro console in the sense of its physical releases, but it was also one of the first consoles to truly have an extensive catalog of digital-only releases...games which are now gone forever, unable to be accessed by anyone. Fat Princess, Afterburner Climax, and so many other games that deserve so much better.
Look, it's been what, a month since launch? To declare PSVR2 a failure after such a small sample size is jumping the gun.
Now, I do believe that one major thing Sony should do to boost sales numbers is to make it more visible to the public; sorry, but limiting it strictly to their own webstore is a recipe for failure. They need to get units to retailers, along with kiosks at stores like Best Buy and GameStop for people to be able to experience the headset and games in person, because let's face it, YouTube trailers on your smartphone just don't cut it.
Another key issue, as with any piece of gaming hardware, is the GAMES. Sony needs to do whatever it takes to strengthen the PSVR2's library going forward. Get the Beat Sabers, the Half Life: Alyxes, every system seller they can signed on for it. And beyond that, shore up its overall functionality; if 3D movies or sporting events could be done on the PSVR, then absolutely make them happen on PSVR2; it makes zero sense to have reduced functionality on their "superior" headset.
For anyone who hasn't tried the PSVR2 or VR, it truly is a remarkable experience. I was personally wowed when I first tried Kayak VR Mirage and Gran Turismo 5 PSVR2; the potential is absolutely there for it to succeed (although I certainly understand some folks' concerns regarding the current price point). But its success ultimately rides on how Sony chooses to market it as well as how much effort goes into games and app support. They can't afford to handle this thing like they did the first two COVID-impeded years of the PS5, where most of the public doesn't even know where to buy one. If it fails, one thing is certain: it's all on Sony.
This was the first game I tried in VR (PSVR2 is my first foray into the medium) and I was blown away. I get the criticisms about it being more of a tech demo in some ways, but I'd absolutely be down to explore some new locations if the developer ever decides to offer DLC. It's perfect for low-impact sessions when I just want to relax, and it will make a fantastic introduction to VR with a very simple interface and learning curve for my family and friends when I get the chance to share it with them.
I can usually tell within 15 seconds (frankly a lot less than that) whether or not I'm interested in a given game, and even a 2 or 3-minute trailer can far outlast its welcome. The demo walkthroughs that have held my attention over the years could be counted on one hand, and 15 minutes' worth will have a huge swath of viewers tuning out, ESPECIALLY if Suicide Squad mimics the quality of the vast majority of licensed titles. Most people watch these "Directs" for news regarding upcoming projects, and there is such a thing as "too much information" when it comes to game details. People want to get on to the next reveal.
@Germs73 Yep, as long as Sony is supporting last-gen with game releases this will be the case. San Diego Studio has been doing the bare minimum each and every year where "updating" this series is concerned; they have no incentive to do so because there's no competition in the marketplace. It's a real shame that corporations invariably veer away from genuine passion toward phoning it in and becoming more and more about the $$$. MLB: The Show has become baseball's version of the Madden franchise.
To be frank I've had a difficult time even getting my PS5 to justify its investment so far in terms of original, current-gen games (and even after waiting a full year to buy it). I've been looking forward to this, but that price point combined with an uneven opening selection of games support out of the gate (Half Life Alyx should absolutely have been targeted by Sony to support PSVR2!!!) makes it easy to pass on it, at least for the time being.
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Re: Cash Rewards Still Unavailable for Millions in PS5, PS4 Rewards Scheme PS Stars
Keep in mind this is from the same industry that's telling consumers they don't really own the digital games and content they legally pay for. Would it be that much of a stretch if they could "redefine" the parameters of digital rewards programs as well?
The videogame industry is long, LONG overdue for a wake-up call, but it will only happen when enough gamers vote with our wallets and refuse to accommodate their schemes.
Re: Failing Manufacturers Are Pushing the Narrative That Consoles Are Dying, Says Ex-Xbox Exec
As an avid hobbyist who's owned most major platforms since the Atari 2600 and thousands of games, I can't declaratively state that consoles are dying but I will offer my personal take on the state of the hobby and industry.
When I look at both my PS5 and XBox Series X, I honestly don't feel that either has come close to justifying my investment in them compared to previous generations in terms of games. Yes, they've both had some standout titles, but thanks to endless development cycles and games releasing all too often in a glorified beta state, the high points are fewer in number and further apart than before. Subscription models (which I will NEVER pay for; I buy the games I want, end of story) are the latest fad aimed at convincing consumers to accept not actually owning anything they play on those $500 consoles they invest in, and predictably they're already hiking the prices. It's also created a throwaway culture where online-centric titles routinely get their plugs pulled to disappear forever; game preservation is the last thing on publishers' minds.
Which leads into what "games as service" is doing to the hardware brands themselves. In short, if you're making a huge enough percentage of your profits from subscriptions, it begins to render dedicated hardware obsolete. So with GamePass already on multiple platforms Microsoft figures it's a good idea to put their games on PS5; Sony's putting theirs on the PC.
Problem is, when it comes time to launch their next console, what will it be able to offer that any other box can't when even first-party games are crossing the lines? So is it feasible that dedicated consoles as we know them could be in danger of disappearing? Maybe.
Speaking for myself though, my buying decisions always come down to the GAMES. If quality games are there...and AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE AND OWN...then I'll continue supporting the industry. If subscriptions ever become the sole way to access future games, however, I will walk away from the hobby and never look back.
Re: PS5's Astro Bot Doesn't Support PSVR2 Because It Was Never Designed to Do So
@TrickyDicky99 Chicken or egg? It's easy to just dismiss the PSVR2 as a sales failure, but it would at least have had a much better chance to succeed had Sony actually bothered to support it beyond a couple of early titles. You don't release a new piece of hardware, let alone one that costs more than the base system itself, without plans in place to support it...and yet that's exactly what Sony did. FIRST-PARTY EXCLUSIVES could have made all the difference for a library whose games can almost all be played on other platforms. The PSVR2's failure is on Sony and I guarantee that those who made this investment will never forget that breach of trust.
Re: PS5's Astro Bot Doesn't Support PSVR2 Because It Was Never Designed to Do So
Guess the showcase is just another reminder that Sony has left the PSVR2 and its users behind. Actually, they did that after Horizon Call of the Mountain and Gran Turismo 7. If they haven't done anything else by this point, folks, they aren't going to (and that PC adapter isn't NEARLY enough to make everyone who plunked down that $500 forget that).
Re: A Lot of PS4 Owners Have Yet to Upgrade to PS5
Frankly they haven't missed much, IMHO. As has been the case with every console generation dating back to the NES and Sega Master System, I own all the major platforms (PS5, XBox Series X, and Switch...which really counts as previous gen); I have to say that in terms of truly must-play games, especially first-party, this is the worst I've ever seen.
Just my personal take, mind you, but I think it has much to do with so many titles now announced literally years before release and all too often releasing in glorified beta states full of bugs, glitches, and so much content and features (especially if they're new installments of long-running franchises) left on the cutting room floor and/or later offered as DLC. The industry has simply become too greedy, and the focus on maximizing system power to provide some sort of cinematic eye-candy has outstripped that of making tight, mechanically sound, and most importantly FUN games. You wonder why so many developers routinely get axed and hundreds of staff laid off nowadays, that's the biggest reason; just as subscription models and online-centric games have quietly done, everything now is simultaneously ultra-expensive and yet disposable. Fewer games are being made with offline replay value, let alone ones that will stand the test of time. Sony even left PSVR2 buyers twisting in the wind after making only Horizon:Call of the Mountain to give it first-party support, but of course they now want PS5 owners to upgrade mid-gen to another piece of $500 hardware that, thanks to subscription models, a lot of gamers won't actually own anything on and their experiences are gated and controlled from the other end.
Incidentally, I still find that my Switch sees far more actual play time than my PS5 and Series X combined. It offers more variety, quality, and especially first-party games that carry value and longevity. And perhaps ironically and counter to so much of the industry's emphasis, many of its titles still look and play "like videogames" as opposed to interactive movies.
Again, just my personal take. Not saying there aren't any truly great games this console generation, but I've soured on the industry as a whole. It's stolen the innocence of the hobby that I fell in love with four decades ago, the one whose industry was humbled by the lessons of the Great Crash during the mid-1980s and had to restore the faith of consumers. Those lessons seem long forgotten now.
Re: Everybody's Golf Dev Skips PSVR2 for New VR Golf Game
Hot Shots Golf 3 on the Playstation 2 was my personal introduction to videogame golf, and I loved every iteration thereafter. The series' crisp, vibrant visuals and varied courses were always a joy to experience, and its rock-solid mechanics and multiplayer capabilities made it a go-to for me for years.
Needless to say, I was hugely disappointed when I learned that Clap Hanz had left Sony's platform. Quite frankly a new Hot Shots/Everybody's Golf entry for the PS5 would fill an immense void for a console that, for me at least, still hasn't come close to offering the variety of genres and multiplayer options of generations past..
On that note, I already preordered Ultimate Swing Golf for my Quest 3, because I trust Clap Hanz to deliver an experience on par with those previous great memories. That's money that Sony left on the table when they let this awesome studio go.
Re: Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
As a consumer who owns both a PS5 and PSVR2 I likewise find myself asking the question of how to justify yet another hardware upgrade when three years on the existing hardware has seen so little in terms of first-party games I care about playing and Sony seems to have left me and other PSVR2 owners hanging in the wind with zero first-party titles since Horizon: Call of the Mountain. The modern gaming industry has created a throwaway culture with subscription models and consoles they want you to move on from every 3 to 4 years, and when you combine that with so many "AAA" games in development for years only to be released as glorified (and non-refundable) betas, that simply isn't sustainable. Even lifelong hobbyists like myself are already weighing other entertainment options.
Re: MLB The Show 24 (PS5) - Documentaries and Defensive Improvements the Highlights in Strong Sports Sequel
@GamingFan4Lyf I absolutely agree that having capable competition with the same licenses would be huge for sports games. Just as Madden was able to sit on its laurels and churn out games with minimal improvements or innovations for years after gaining exclusivity to the NFL license, Sony and San Diego Studios are now doing with MLB: The Show. Without competition to offer potentially better features, visual enhancements, and innovation to lure consumers away, they have no incentive to significantly improve their product year to year. And that has inevitably resulted in stagnation.
Re: MLB The Show 24 (PS5) - Documentaries and Defensive Improvements the Highlights in Strong Sports Sequel
Here we are halfway through the PS5's purported "life cycle" and MLB: The Show still looks like a last-gen title. Certainly part of the blame goes to cross-gen compatibility holding the bar down for the past three years, but now there should be no excuse. Unfortunately, San Diego Studios prioritized stuff like women in MLB over bringing the visuals up to the quality one should expect from the "latest and greatest" (and again, now 3-plus year-old) hardware. The annual drip-feed of incremental features and scarcely noticeable improvements is all too familiar; MLB: The Show has become the new Madden, and that isn't a compliment.
Re: Unicorn Overlord (PS5) - An Utterly Brilliant Strategy RPG
Sega really needs to hand the Shining Force franchise over to Vanillaware. Whether it's a remake of SF III or an all-new iteration, I'm betting they would restore it to the beloved status it once had.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's 'Creepy' Moogles Are Giving Players the Ick
I loved the original Moogle design and have to agree that the changes are a bit jarring. I definitely prefer the pointed ears and other features that made them more cat-like. I also think the proportions are a major source of the complaints. They had a cute and whimsical air about them before, but now...well, let's just say they look "off". But, for better or worse, it is what it is now.
Re: Unicorn Overlord (PS5) - An Utterly Brilliant Strategy RPG
The map when you activate a quest reminds me a lot of Sega's classic Saturn SRPG, Dragon Force. Enemy forces move in real time between set points, and it's crucial to have sufficient units (of the right type; Archers beat flying units, Dire Mages can stop Zombies, and Dragons will plow through everything except Samurai...which are pretty average against everything else) ready to capture enemy fortifications or defend your own. Oh, and because your army can grow to include over 100 generals, each leading a force of up to 100 troops, Dragon Force has a RIDICULOUS amount of micromanagement.
Man, I really wish Sega would revisit some of their classic RPGs and SRPGs again. Dragon Force, Shining Force, Skies of Arcadia, Panzer Dragoon Saga...back in the day Sega's reputation with the genre was every bit as respected as Vanillaware's is now.
Re: Hands On: Unicorn Overlord Has the Potential to Be One of 2024's Best RPGs
Dead on regarding Fire Emblem; I barely finished one playthrough of Three Houses and simply quit roughly halfway through Engage because I was sick and tired of all the vapid, meaningless padding intruding upon both the core storyline and the strategic gameplay. Nintendo went WAY too far in trying to "appeal to more gamers" with FE; they've turned it into something that's alienated many of us who loved it to begin with.
Re: Poll: What Do You Think of PSVR2, One Year Later?
PSVR2 was my personal introduction to VR, and I was blown away by titles like Gran Turismo and Red Matter 2 in terms of sheer immersion and environmental details. But its lack of backwards-compatibility with most PSVR games as well as its lack of 3D movie functionality hurt it.
Its biggest drawback, though, has been the cord, without a doubt. Having since purchased a Quest 3, the ability to enjoy VR wirelessly, not to mention its compatibility with PCVR games, has seen it almost completely take over my attention from the PSVR2.
I'll always remember and appreciate PSVR2 for opening my eyes to the possibilities of VR, however. And if it does in fact add PC functionality, I will definitely be using it a lot more in tandem with the Quest for multiplayer sessions with friends and family.
Re: Sony Testing PSVR2 Compatibility on PC, Aiming for This Year
PSVR2 was my personal introduction to VR and I will always be grateful for it; games like Gran Turismo and Red Matter 2 opened my eyes to just how immersive it can be. Having since then also purchased a Quest 3 I've found that each has its own strengths and weaknesses, but having an extra headset to play multiplatform titles like Walkabout Minigolf with friends and family is a win across the board.
That's where I see PC compatability as an exciting development for the PSVR2. Anything that adds more game options to its catalog is a positive thing, and at least some of those could bridge the gap to enjoy side-by-side with someone using the Quest.
Re: Legendary Suikoden, Eiyuden Chronicle Creator Yoshitaka Murayama Has Passed Away
I backed this game on KickStarter when the campaign began probably 2 or 3 years ago. Everyone backing knew upfront that it would be a long and ambitious road toward seeing the finished product, but it was likely the closest thing we'd ever get again to another Suikoden game. The more time went by and the more details regarding Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes were revealed, the more it seemed our faith in the developers' vision (including Murayama-san) was well founded. He and his team really have poured their hearts and souls into this project, and it's a true shame that he won't be around to savor the warm reception I'm sure his work will receive once the game launches.
Thank you so much for the memories, Mr. Murayama. The Suikoden series is one of my favorite JRPG franchises ever and I'm confident that Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will more than live up to that pedigree. You will be missed, sir.
Re: Sony Predicts Slide in PS5 Sales with No Major Existing IPs Planned Before March 2025
I remember the embarrassment of riches that came alongside my new Playstation 2 on launch day: TimeSplitters, Killzone, SSX, and then a plethora of new games in the months and years that followed, all at a brisk and steady pace. My PS3 likewise saw a rapid and consistent pattern of high-quality titles (and by high-quality I mean more than just eye candy and non-interactive cinematics). But the current console generation? What's there is very few and far between, and all too often so-called "AAA" games are releasing to the public as glorified betas still riddled with glitches, bugs, and features missing from installments on previous iterations. We're paying more ($59.99 to $79.99 now on average) for less overall quality and content, and subscription models (something I personally will NEVER support as I prefer to OWN and CONTROL my legal purchases) have created a throwaway culture where online-centric titles are constantly getting shut down and swept aside for "the next big thing", and both Sony and Microsoft are trying to train the masses into supporting "1.5" or "Pro" hardware halfway through each console generation...all to play fewer and fewer games that they don't even own anymore. And as an avid hobbyist since the Atari 2600, I feel the current generation is returning by far the least amount of quality and quantity for my investment.
Want to know why my Switch library is several times larger than my PS5 and XBox Series X ones combined? Simple, it releases games (including genuinely high-quality first-party Nintendo titles) at a brisk and consistent pace. So many folks like to harp on Nintendo having less powerful hardware, but let me ask, how powerful does it really have to be? Bleeding-edge, photorealistic visuals require enormous time and personnel commitments (ergo the constant news about layoffs), and too many developers, even the "AAA" ones, have struggled to produce even finished games, let alone games whose overall quality in gameplay, mechanics, and content are able to match those graphics. System power has outstripped the ability of developers to continue producing steady releases, and the pressure to do so has burned out many of them and led others to jump ship; as for the games themselves, it's led to a sharp drop-off in overall quality, content, and features.
In short, perhaps the biggest reason Nintendo is so successful despite supposedly inferior hardware is that their games still look and play "like videogames"; simpler, more animated aesthetics and rock-solid gameplay and mechanics, and yet they take a fraction of the time your typical PS5 or XBox release does to develop. And ultimately it always, ALWAYS comes down to THE GAMES.
Microsoft isn't the only console maker who's facing a reckoning with regard to the emphasis on system power over everything else; Sony needs to look hard in the mirror at that 18-month gap and ask, through the lens of their consumers, what that $500 piece of hardware is actually for.
Re: Rumour: Sonic Generations May Make a Comeback During Sony's State of Play
How does one milk a hedgehog? Just ask Sega; they've been mastering the technique for decades now.
Re: SEGA Wonders Whether Releasing Sonic Superstars Next to Mario Was a Good Idea
Maybe it would also have done better had Sega released more games from its older IPs instead of a glut of Sonic titles and remakes over the past few years (and there are avid fans of Sega RPGs not named Yakuza while we're on the subject). There is such a thing as oversaturation and consumer fatigue; while Mario and Zelda may be its two "pillars", Nintendo understands this and at least continues to offer a broad spectrum of first-party IPs across a wide variety of genres in between those releases.
Re: Xmas in Kayak VR: Mirage Is the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Only one small problem: it's Summer in Australia (where King's Canyon is located in the game) during Christmas.
Re: PS Plus Subscriptions on Sale Now, But There's a Big Catch
As a PS Plus member since the PS3, I was going to look over the PS Plus games deals this week only to get an unpassable "Upgrade" prompt; ditto the "Essentials" tier being excluded from any re-up discounts. So not only has the annual price of PS Plus jumped from $49.99 across the board to $79.99 FOR THE LOWEST TIER (and THREE TIMES THAT at $150 for "Premium") within roughly 2 years, but folks in the Essential tier literally get treated like we're not worth Sony's interest anymore. Basically Sony wants us to pay dozens of dollars MORE (on top of a 75% increase already) just to be able to access the same benefits we used to all enjoy, more or less. Folks, that isn't mere "capitalism", it isn't "the effects of COVID", the "economy", or whatever, it's just pure, unadulterated, ugly corporate GREED.
I personally all but stopped bothering to add "free" games with my Plus subscription years ago; I always purchase whatever games I'm interested in, and that's provided me with more than enough of a backlog. But I did get a lot of use from the regular Store discounts, and actually the core purpose for renewing my subscription each year has been to keep my game saves backed up in cloud storage (which saved me during at least one console failure). But the cost of this program, coupled with the strong-arm methods Sony is employing to "encourage" users to upgrade (expecting gamers to just bend over and take it yet again like the analogy of a frog in a kettle of water being brought to boil) has me seriously considering letting my existing sub lapse this time around.
Not interested in playing your "game", Sony.
Re: SEGA Isn't Surprised That Companies Want to Acquire It
Sega may say they have valuable IPs, but when all they want to release is a constant glut of Sonic and Yakuza games it kind of rings hollow, and nowhere is that more evident than their track record of dealing with Western consumers. Fans have been begging for a new (or even remaster of the original) Skies of Arcadia for years (two full decades, actually). In fact there are numerous IPs that Sega has just sat on for 20, 25, or even 30 years or more at this point, franchises that had avid fan bases.
A great example is Shining Force; SFIII was an INCREDIBLE 190-hour epic SRPG that the West only saw the first of three interlocking Scenarios of because Sega couldn't be bothered to finish the job. Panzer Dragoon Saga was one of the most ambitious RPGs of its generation yet only received 3,000 copies for the entire North American market. And we'd never have gotten the likes of Dragon Force, Magic Knight RayEarth, Albert Odyssey, or Iron Storm had it not been for Working Designs, who eventually left for Sony because Sega treated them with disdain. Even Sega's own legendary in-house development teams like Team Camelot got so fed up with the meddling of upper management that they left to found their own studios. M2 was shut down from continuing their awesome work on the Sega Ages series for Nintendo Switch. Shenmue 3 required a Kickstarter to exist, and most of the recent non-Sonic "Sega" releases like House of the Dead and Panzer Dragoon Remake have been outsourced to third-parties with middling results. The list goes on and on.
And don't even bother with the "Those games didn't sell" argument; the reasons for that fall squarely on Sega's shoulders. No company has done less with more than Sega over the past two-plus decades.
"We have valuable IPs". Put your money and effort where your mouth is, Sega, because history shows you treat the vast majority of your IPs and their fans like crap.
Re: Mini Review: The 7th Guest VR (PSVR2) - Bugs Besmirch This Entertaining VR Remake
@RachaelWest Thanks so much for the personal response, Rachael. Everything you said comes as an immense relief, so please pass my thanks along to the team for ironing out the kinks before release. I very much look forward to playing the game!
Re: Mini Review: The 7th Guest VR (PSVR2) - Bugs Besmirch This Entertaining VR Remake
This has been #1 on my VR "To Get" list since its original announcement, so obviously hearing about these bugs is a huge disappointment. Folks, there is no sane reality where it's acceptable that you would have to skip puzzles in a game to progress due to bugs.
As a hobbyist it angers me that this has become a "norm" to release games in unfinished, glitchy states thanks to A) online connectivity, B) the eradication of consumer rights (digital media, no refunds, and EULAs), and C) corporate greed and laziness. This console generation, in my memory, has released more garbage and less overall content and value per dollar than any before it, and yes that includes multiple "AAA" titles. The industry is capable of doing better, both by their products as well as by us as consumers. And we should hold them to the higher standard they once had by voting with our wallets and refusing to buy any game that isn't PROPERLY finished and COMPLETE.
Re: PlayStation's Push for Live Service Games Hasn't Been Going Smoothly
Nobody who cares about the long-term health of the hobby wants live service games. It's just another gimmick for developers to get away with releasing unfinished, often buggy products while charging consumers for "additional content" that either should have been included at launch or is completely superfluous. Gamers' consumer rights have evaporated since online functionality became mainstream; EULAs have created a situation where they have no recourse and no say while (the larger) publishers have gotten richer than ever for less and less effort, quality, and accountability. There's no concern about game preservation either because so many online-dependent titles are simply being shut down forever; it's become a throwaway culture. Basically greed and laziness are strangling the hobby and ruining some of its biggest and most beloved franchises.
Re: New PSVR2 Games Release Dates in 2023
Be sure to add The 7th Guest, which launches on October 19th.
Re: Is Sony Working on a New PS2 Emulator for PS5, PS4?
I will never bother with anything that's locked behind a subscription model; people are being trained to buy $400 consoles (which they've been trained to replace "mid-generation" now via "Pro" models) and pour endless money into content they neither own nor control anymore, and it's helped enable the current situation of unfinished, glitchy game releases and online-centric titles that get unceremoniously shut down; it's a throwaway culture where the end user has no rights and no meaningful voice.
I much prefer being able to permanently purchase games and bought a ton for XBox's Backwards-compatibility program. And I will always vote with my wallet accordingly, no matter what games or platforms are offered via subscriptions.
Re: Poll: Is 'Live Service' Becoming an Excuse to Release Unfinished Games?
More $$$ for less effort, content, features, and quality and STILL more $$$ and control over users' experiences after the initial point of sale; that's the driving force behind "live service" and pretty much every major (especially online) business model pushed by the videogame industry. Look at what's happened to local multi-player features as of late in games like Halo Infinite and Forza; we have the most powerful consoles and largest displays in the history of the hobby and yet the excuse for not including splitscreen is "technical limitations", which is a LIE. It's really because any time players spend offline is time their experience can't be gated, controlled, monitored, or exploited for more $$$.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Trails into Reverie?
I just finished Lloyd's initial patrol of Crossbell. The game visually looks sharper and crisper than any previous entry, and it's nice to see so many familiar characters for the first time in 3D form. My only issue thus far is that moving around feels somehow stiff and disjointed; approaching NPCs and other characters to initiate conversation requires far more effort than it should. Actually it slowed my progress in exploring to such a degree that I took multiple breaks away from the game just in this section, something I never had a problem with before in Trails games. I'm not referring to the lengthy dialogue that's always been a hallmark of the franchise; I'm talking about movement and interactions that feel absolutely glacial, deliberate as opposed to natural. Even as a huge fan who's also a completist I imagine it's going to be tough to deal with over the course of dozens of hours of gameplay.
Re: Sonic Superstars Is a New Spin on 2D Hedgehog Action, Hits PS5, PS4 in 2023
Sick to death of Sonic personally, specifically because Sega has relished so much attention and marketing on it while abandoning almost all their other franchises. Especially the amazing RPGs like Shining Force and Skies of Arcadia. Two-plus decades on we haven't seen anything from either. No company in the industry has sat on more AAA properties and done nothing with them than Sega.
Re: SEGA Could Join Sony in Raising Its Game Prices to $70
If Sega did a serious, first-party effort into one of their iconic RPG properties like Skies of Arcadia or Shining Force I could see myself supporting them (even at $70, because if they aren't supported it's a sure thing we'll never, ever see them again). But Sonic, Yakuza, Monkey Ball? I don't even bother with those when they're on sale.
You have to justify the investment to the consumer before you go talking about price hikes. With the exception of the Valkyria Chronicles games (not counting Azure, yet another ill-advised attempt to "mainstream" an SRPG IP), Sega has utterly failed to do that for two decades running, in my humble opinion.
Re: Social Golfer Walkabout Mini Golf Comes Highly Recommended on PSVR2
This one's at the top of my "To Get" list right now for PSVR2. I love minigolf and the game sounds like a lot of fun.
Re: Prepare Yourself for More Sonic as Frontiers Fuels Software Sales for SEGA
Couldn't care less about Sonic after more than two decades of Sega running him out there with hit-and-mostly miss results time and time again while they've ignored a literal mountain of some of the greatest IPs ever made. 20 years since Skies of Arcadia, 25 since Shining Force III, 30 since the last offline Phantasy Star. So many incredible coin-ops collecting dust instead of being put into a compilation. The Saturn and most of the Dreamcast catalogs continue to go untouched.
Maybe most of those IPs aren't as profitable as Sonic has been, but they're remembered as some of the best the hobby has ever seen and appealed to fans of a wide variety of genres, and by now most would be seeing an entirely new audience anyway. Look at how profitable Fire Emblem has been for Nintendo, for example; Shining Force could absolutely experience the same renaissance if given the chance.
Sega's development teams have made some of the greatest games in the hobby's history, but you wouldn't know it from how their upper management treated them (Team Camelot), their localizations (SF III only getting the first of three interlocking Scenarios released in the West, Panzer Dragoon Saga only seeing 3000 North American releases, most of their Saturn-era RPGs having to be released by Working Designs to come here at all), or their (near complete lack of) marketing. If you read the history of Sega, you'll still love their games, not so much the corporation itself.
Maybe there's another reason Sonic is "one of their best-selling franchises"; it's pretty easy when it's about the only one they bother making or promoting.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores?
@kcarnes9051 Just because you disagree with someone doesn't mean you hate them, and believing a behavior is amoral isn't bigotry. Bigotry by definition is an irrational and unjustified hostility toward a specific group. Maybe you don't agree with, say, Christians or Muslims for believing LGBTQ behavior is a sin, but guess what: their beliefs are, to use your own words, part of the essence of their very being and that encompasses a LOT more than just opinions on that one topic. To just dismiss them or anyone else as bigots or "intolerant" for holding to traditional values civilized societies have adhered to for centuries is the very definition of irony. After all, didn't they review bomb Hogwarts Legacy because of Rowling's personal views? Talk about double standards.
I believe we've said enough here. Neither of us is going to change the other's mind. Take care.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores?
@kcarnes9051 And again, as I said in my OP, there are a lot of people who disagree with LGBTQ lifestyles and consider them amoral. That's always been at the core of what this is about: two diametrically opposed and irreconcilable sets of viewpoints of basic morality, right and wrong, even nature itself. In short, sexuality is a lightning rod in entertainment when aimed at the general public because it is a deeply moral issue for many people. Maybe you don't agree with them, and again, that's your right, but Aloy's story never had to go "there". Because it did, it alienated a lot of folks who just wanted to enjoy an epic adventure and escape from all the real world's crap, not be reminded of it by yet another corporation's intrusive virtue-signaling. And that isn't good for anyone involved in the long-term, including the hobby.
The fact we've gone back and forth like this is evidence that Guerilla made a bad choice here narratively, because this isn't what videogames are supposed to be about. It's also evidence that the review bombings aren't about "selective outrage", but rather that a lot of people have strong feelings on the subject. Legitimate feelings.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores?
@kcarnes9051 Believe it or not, some gamers don't care for sexual content in ANY context for the same reasons that some folks avoid movies or TV shows over excessive violence, profanity, or sexual content, whether it's because they have young children, due to religious beliefs, or simply personal taste. Most don't try to tell anyone else what they should be playing or watching; they just do their best to tailor their entertainment accordingly in an environment where it's steadily becoming more difficult, even with so-called "family" shows and media. Try and put yourself in the shoes of such a person, if only for a moment; how many "AAA" games right now would you feel comfortable playing? How often do you see the games industry or media going out of their way to cater to those folks and make them feel "included"?
As I said in my OP, Aloy had been an avatar for ALL players (and while it contains some violence and mature themes, the Horizon franchise is no Witcher) up until Guerilla's "creative decision".
What would have been your reaction had she, say, found and donned a "MAGA hat" artifact (yes I realize it's an absurd example but I guarantee an incendiary one, and that's exactly my point)? Depending on your personal politics you might do some review-bombing yourself for the same reasons: A) it's completely irrelevant to the theme of the game and everything you've been doing as Aloy for dozens of hours, and B) suddenly she doesn't reflect you or what you identify with/as because, in an instant, some writer took that connection you had for all those hours away and made her their own vehicle.
Blanket-dismissing others' concerns or disagreement over this as "selective outrage" is in itself selective hearing.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores?
@NEStalgia I sincerely apologize if my post was "spoilery" for anyone; I assumed the topic was common knowledge based on the numerous articles and user responses I had seen.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores?
I had seen the headlines about "review bombing" over the past week but wasn't aware of why it was happening until yesterday. I'm not leaving a score here as I'm just now playing through the first game, but I've read both the reasoning for the low reviews as well as other people's reactions and wanted to offer some thoughts.
Videogames are a different animal from books and films in one key area: the player directly interacts with the main characters and influences the story and the world around them to at least some degree. The character is your avatar; there is a natural tendency to identify with a character and to subconsciously project one's own words, values, and moral compass onto them.
Nintendo Life ran a poll last week about whether Link should be voiced. One could offer similar questions regarding Master Chief removing his helmet. The reason such characters have stood the test of time and become iconic isn't merely because they're part of great games; it's because players can fill in the blanks in that silence with their own imaginations, it could be ANYONE under that helmet. This strengthens players' connections with them in very special ways. The instant you change that formula, you break that connection because the character becomes someone else's vehicle.
How does that apply to Aloy? First, consider what the Horizon games are about thematically. She's a former outcast traversing a post-apocalyptic landscape full of various tribal characters and robotic dangers. There's dozens upon dozens of hours' worth of exploration, item collecting, hunting, task completion, and engaging storyline. And up until Burning Shores Aloy did all of that as an avatar for the player...ANY player, regardless of personal beliefs or sociopolitical leanings.
I've seen a lot of spleen directed at those who take issue with the LGBTQ direction Guerilla took here, using words like "bigots" and "intolerant", but those words in and of themselves are ironic and hypocritical. Like it or not, a lot of people still believe LGBTQ lifestyles are amoral and destructive, whether based on religious beliefs or simple moral convictions. You may vehemently disagree and that's your right...but put the shoe on the other foot. My point is that the instant Guerilla took Aloy's story in that specific direction, she became someone else's vehicle to many, many players, the same as if her romantic interest had been male.
The bottom line is that this and most other videogames thematically have absolutely nothing to do with a given character's sexuality. It's at best superfluous and unnecessary, and inserting such content, whether to "check off a box" or to push a particular sociopolitical agenda (let's be honest, having the female leads of two of Sony's flagship IPs be LGBTQ is going WAY past mere "representation"), is a lightning rod that only serves to alienate and divide players.
That's not what we play videogames for.
Re: THQ Nordic Dates Digital Showcase with 'World Premiere' PS5, PS4 Reveals for 11th August
About time (and then some) for that new TimeSplitters they supposedly have had in the works to finally make an appearance.
Re: PSVR2 Sales May Actually Be Stronger Than Has Been Suggested
@ztpayne7 If one of those games happens to be GT7, apparently it still requires the regular PS5 controller. I tried repeatedly to get the DualSense to work with it until I did some research online. Of course Sony could have communicated this a lot better considering GT7 is one of the most prominent PSVR2-compatible games AND is first-party. Anyway, I just wanted to share this in case anyone else is having similar issues.
Re: PSVR2 Sales May Actually Be Stronger Than Has Been Suggested
@Futureshark Mine are already on their way from Germany. They cost about $110 US for all the "extras" (blue light protection, etc.) and shipping. Their communication was also excellent.
Re: Soapbox: Watch Another 20 Minutes of Final Fantasy 16? You Must Be Mad
I used to be an avid FF fan, but the franchise's switch from turn-based mechanics where you could micromanage your entire party in battle while reclining on the couch to brainless button-mashing combos absolutely killed it for me. Still pretty games to look at, but they should have at least left the option to retain the turn-based battles for those of us who prefer them.
Re: EA Sports PGA Tour (PS5) - Truly Stunning Sim Plays a Very Pretty Round of Virtual Golf
I might have considered this despite the 30 FPS, but you lost me at the analog stick being used to swing. No three-tap meter, no buy for me.
Re: Rumour: Sony's Allegedly Cut PSVR2 Production Plan by 20% in 2023
I can't say whether the speculation is overblown, but there are several factors to consider. Sony only recently made the PS5 itself readily available outside of having to join a limited queue or pay through the nose to a scalper. COVID or no, it was a rough, ROUGH launch. So two years on a lot of people still haven't yet even purchased a PS5, let alone considered a peripheral that costs even more. Ditto "AAA" first-party, current-gen games support; outside of Horizon: Forbidden West and God of War, there hasn't been that much to draw consumers to the main console yet that can't be found on competing platforms. So price point aside, PSVR2's "slow start" may not be its own fault so much as the fact that the PS5 itself is still trying to recover from one.
I bought a PSVR2 so obviously I'm rooting for it to succeed. But Sony has to put in the effort to make that happen with marketing, making it readily available (that means including brick-and-mortar retailers), putting kiosks out in public for people to try, and most importantly gathering as much quality GAMES support as possible, including the likes of Beat Saber, Half Life: Alyx, and other proven system-sellers. They also need to expand PSVR2's functionality because frankly it's embarrassing that the original PSVR enables users to view 3D movies and sporting events while PSVR2 users can't. Kinda undermines the whole "superior architecture" vibe.
I've said it before and it bears repeating: if PSVR2 fails, it's entirely on Sony. And if it does, it's going to alienate every consumer who took a chance on it.
Re: Soapbox: Hold On, Is the PS3 a Retro Console?
To me, "retro" is ultimately and inevitably going to mean one key, heartbreaking thing: games that can still be accessed either in physical form or via emulators. In the current age of so many digital-only releases (especially when they're online dependent) and subscription models, videogames have become throwaway items. Once the servers get pulled, or the corporations move on to another model, or once each generation's online store closes, thousands of games are going to disappear forever (and countless ones already have). Ditto licensing issues; many incredible titles may never exist again simply to to rights issues or expired licenses. Only games with physical discs, cartridges, or other media will remain to be played on aging systems or dumped onto ROM sites. The PS3 may qualify as a retro console in the sense of its physical releases, but it was also one of the first consoles to truly have an extensive catalog of digital-only releases...games which are now gone forever, unable to be accessed by anyone. Fat Princess, Afterburner Climax, and so many other games that deserve so much better.
Re: Soapbox: PSVR2 Already Feels Like It's on Course for Failure
Look, it's been what, a month since launch? To declare PSVR2 a failure after such a small sample size is jumping the gun.
Now, I do believe that one major thing Sony should do to boost sales numbers is to make it more visible to the public; sorry, but limiting it strictly to their own webstore is a recipe for failure. They need to get units to retailers, along with kiosks at stores like Best Buy and GameStop for people to be able to experience the headset and games in person, because let's face it, YouTube trailers on your smartphone just don't cut it.
Another key issue, as with any piece of gaming hardware, is the GAMES. Sony needs to do whatever it takes to strengthen the PSVR2's library going forward. Get the Beat Sabers, the Half Life: Alyxes, every system seller they can signed on for it. And beyond that, shore up its overall functionality; if 3D movies or sporting events could be done on the PSVR, then absolutely make them happen on PSVR2; it makes zero sense to have reduced functionality on their "superior" headset.
For anyone who hasn't tried the PSVR2 or VR, it truly is a remarkable experience. I was personally wowed when I first tried Kayak VR Mirage and Gran Turismo 5 PSVR2; the potential is absolutely there for it to succeed (although I certainly understand some folks' concerns regarding the current price point). But its success ultimately rides on how Sony chooses to market it as well as how much effort goes into games and app support. They can't afford to handle this thing like they did the first two COVID-impeded years of the PS5, where most of the public doesn't even know where to buy one. If it fails, one thing is certain: it's all on Sony.
Re: Mini Review: Kayak VR: Mirage (PSVR2) - An Immersive Yet Thin Experience
This was the first game I tried in VR (PSVR2 is my first foray into the medium) and I was blown away. I get the criticisms about it being more of a tech demo in some ways, but I'd absolutely be down to explore some new locations if the developer ever decides to offer DLC. It's perfect for low-impact sessions when I just want to relax, and it will make a fantastic introduction to VR with a very simple interface and learning curve for my family and friends when I get the chance to share it with them.
Re: State of Play Confirmed for Thursday with PSVR2, Indies, Third-Party Games, and Suicide Squad
I can usually tell within 15 seconds (frankly a lot less than that) whether or not I'm interested in a given game, and even a 2 or 3-minute trailer can far outlast its welcome. The demo walkthroughs that have held my attention over the years could be counted on one hand, and 15 minutes' worth will have a huge swath of viewers tuning out, ESPECIALLY if Suicide Squad mimics the quality of the vast majority of licensed titles. Most people watch these "Directs" for news regarding upcoming projects, and there is such a thing as "too much information" when it comes to game details. People want to get on to the next reveal.
Re: Miami Marlins' Jazz Chisholm Lights Up MLB The Show 23 on PS5, PS4
@Germs73 Yep, as long as Sony is supporting last-gen with game releases this will be the case. San Diego Studio has been doing the bare minimum each and every year where "updating" this series is concerned; they have no incentive to do so because there's no competition in the marketplace. It's a real shame that corporations invariably veer away from genuine passion toward phoning it in and becoming more and more about the $$$. MLB: The Show has become baseball's version of the Madden franchise.
Re: PSVR2 Launches 22nd February 2023, Costs $550
To be frank I've had a difficult time even getting my PS5 to justify its investment so far in terms of original, current-gen games (and even after waiting a full year to buy it). I've been looking forward to this, but that price point combined with an uneven opening selection of games support out of the gate (Half Life Alyx should absolutely have been targeted by Sony to support PSVR2!!!) makes it easy to pass on it, at least for the time being.