That is an insane decision.nHas to be something more to it for it to make any sense at all. Makes you wonder why they constantly buy studios only to shut them down later, just open your own studio, use the money saved from acquiring them to pay staff well enough to poach the talent from elsewhere, much cheaper.
Sony are so, so fortunate Xbox shat the bed and withdrew themselves from the "console war" because Playstation ate doing everything possible to tank their stellar reputation. Ironically, Xbox with all three studios theyve acquired could now have an insane collection of 1st party IP that would rival and arguably better Sony's. This is probably a good example of why competition is needed though as complacency is good for nobody.
Genuinely forgot this even existed. Has to be one of the biggest disappointments in recent gaming history although admittedly the hype wasn't all their own doing. Only way i ever play this game is if it comes to ps+ which i suspect it will at some point.
Never wish for failure and certainly wouldnt revel in it but I don't feel any sympathy either and feel like its failure is ultimately a positive thing for the industry.
Another reminder not to stick out half baked, generic titles and expect a hit just because you've found wealthy backers and have people working on it who have had hits before. You have to have a genuinely good idea (it helps if it's unqiue) and execute it well to be successful in the GaaS sector, as it should be.
I have no strong preference either way, I enjoyed both styles. However I do feel like a complete remake of the trilogy in the 2018 style would appeal more both to me and a wider audience as it is then basically a new game and not simply yet another remake.
I dont think i'd feel compelled to play it if the remake turned out to be just the old games with a modern gloss of paint, i've already played that multiple times over and shinier visuals doesn't entice me to want to play it again especially at considerable expense.
The only real argument put forward in this article for a new console anytime soon is to "push developers forward" this simply doesnt track with today's world.
Which devs are being held back and need new hardware to push them forward? Nobody has got remotely close to maxing out the ps5's capabilities nevermind the ps5 pro.
Console lifespan has typically been fairly consistent because the rate of advancement remained consistent, that is no longer the case. Undeniably, the advancements have dwindled but the key thing is average development time needed has substantially increased.
Gone are the days where you saw whole trilogies of games release on one generation of console, some devs are now struggling to get a single game out in a typical generation. This is the key reason why nobody needs new hardware anytime soon. Naughty dog were getting uncharted trilogy and TLOU out well within the ps3's lifespan, at present, we'll be lucky if they get a single game out in the same timeframe.
I dont think i've spoken to a single person who is eagerly awaiting a new console. Its funny that the article mentions console improvements being more comparable to incremental improvements of mobiles as I also think the consumer demand for those products echoes phones too. It used to be that everybody wanted the latest model every year and hardly anybody was more than a year or 2 behind but nowadays it feels like (at least comparatively) nobody really cares as long as its got the basics and people are happy to stick with what they've got until they're forced to replace it
This entire article seems incredibly out of touch to me, but I will accept that perhaps it is i that is out of touch.
Good news. Can't say i have any nostalgia for Wall:E but I'll probably get round to playing it at some point now just to lend my support for the inclusion of trophies in these premium games. I'm sure the data Sony have will show a noticeable increase in players when there are trophies involved. They should be pushing for trophy support in all premium titles, it's a very simple and easy boost to engagement.
I wouldnt even be able to create one of the creates. Seriously impressive and once again shows the potential dreams had. Dreams should not have been the flop it was given its potential. Really poorly handled imo.
The surprise here is it would take the RAM issues to delay it until then. There is absolutely no need for a PS6 anytime soon.
Two things to look at. The technology and finances. With regards to the first one, The PS5 isn't holding anything back, there is still plenty to get out of that system. The leap forward in technology has stalled, it is no longer a leap and more of a crawl at best plus the games aren't there. they take forever to be made now which combined with the lack of technological advancement should automatically extend lifespan far beyond the traditional time anyway. 7 years might be the traditional lifespan but the dev time of games was also less than a year or 2 at most, now it's 4-5 years so that should be reflected in the console lifespan too.
Then you have to look at it financially. The economy is in the gutter, asking people to shell out what is probably going to be the best part of a grand is mental, even moreso when there will be next to zero profit in it for Sony. they're simply far better off sticking with the ps5, let people spend that money on games with much higher margins over a new console. Is there anybody that thinks the ps5 feels outdated and they need a new shiny console? Most games could still run on a ps4, some do and barely any are using the ps5 pro. They should be looking at the next decade for a new machine, it just isn't needed.
To me it displays laziness and a lack of care to the quality of the product they're releasing. If a dev is going to put zero effort in with trophies or in other cases ignore them entirely or include broken ones that are never fixed then i'm not willing to trust that they haven't shown the same lack of effort and detailing with the rest of the game. It doesn't neccesarily make that the case, but its the impression it gives.
Its not false advertising at all. By this story, It's an unlockable mode that requires no further purchases just simply progression so where's the false advertising? Nowhere did it state its available from the start, they're blaming others for their own wrong assumptions.
What's next, you see a weapon on the cover art of a game that's only unlocked late into the game and so people demand refunds because they didnt get it from the start? Bunch of grade A bankers moaning about nothing.
@Rocky1972 didnt think this needed explaining to somebody allowed on the internet unsupervised but apparently you've proven it does so here is your infant level basic maths lesson.
You dont pay £120 for premium, the cost of premium alone and the benefits you get from that tier is £120 minus the cost of extra which is £100. This means the cost of premium is £20 p/a or £1.66 per month.
My 7 year old nephew will gladly give you some private tutoring for a bit of pocket money if you're still struggling to understand.
Solid but unspectacular for me. Nothing wow'd me, a few somewhat interesting reveals amongst a lot of filler. Kena 2 probably the best new reveal, that did look like a upgrade in scope and scale from a very decent first entry. still think that Darwins paradox looks like one of the most interesting games everytime it is shown, reckon that will be a sleeper hit.
More i see of Saros, the less convinced I am, feels like they're making it more accessible as with the majority of big 2dt party titles which basically means making it easy and non-challenging. Housemarque games have thrived off being challenging so really hope that is not the case as that is the only thing that could ruin what should be a banker of a hit.
Consider the barrel well and truly scrapped. No wonder they didnt bother announcing the rest after Spiderman 2 at the state of play. Normally, i'd suggest all the budget went on bringing the big hitter that month but it's cost them nothing given it's a 1st party title.
How many of those devs are laid off simply because their job is done though as opposed to those losing their jobs because they can't afford to keep them on? Didnt they say a week or so ago, they can survive on a tiny player base?
As with any game, certain roles become obsolete the second a game is released so it makes no sense to be employing people with nothing to do anymore. About time the games media accept that game dev work is essentially contracted. A building site isn't going to hire an electrician or a plasterer when they're laying foundations, nor are they going to need to keep a bricklayer once the shell of the build is finished, devs have got to get used to going into a role for a specific period and then moving on once their job is done, games cost too much now to be keeping staff they dont need on.
Nioh series are the best soulslike games and that is even including fromsoft games, i think the surge 2 is also right up there.
Just started Lies of P but i started it straight off the back of getting the wo long:fallen dynasty platinum (which is essentially the sekiro of the nioh world) and this feels painfully clunky in comparison.
So much so actually that i'm considering just abandoning it for now and returning later once the muscle memory has faded from wo long just so that I don't tarnish my opinions on it forever as it does not currently stack up well in comparison by a wide margin.
Saros will take up a large portion of the runtime with an overly long dive into the game.
Insomniac and particularly Wolverine to play a prominent role.
My wild prediction is marathon releases on to ps+ day 1. Speaking of which, i also predicted spider- man 2 coming to extra next month just last week before this state of play was announced, seems like a much more realistic bet now, they always save the better, headline titles for these shows.
Artstyle is a monumental cockup. Just an all round horrific choice. Remains to be seen as to whether the game itself is any good, I'm not brimming with optimism from what I watched, quite the opposite infact, and I was somebody who liked the idea of a monster hunter style horizon game
Wow. The artstyle is absolutely horrendous. Immediately puts me off almost entirely and i'm somebody eho is typically all about gameplay. Very difficult to look beyond it though, just screams low budget, rip off of existing game/s.
If I can look past it for a second, there's still nothing grabbing me from that. When I heard about an online monster hunter style horizon game, i was all on board for it, the superb gameplay of the actual horizon games in that kind of environment could make for a brilliant game, this isn't what I had thought they'd be going for by a long shot.
I suspect they'll be a hefty amount of negativity towards this awful reveal until they start showing the beta in action. Having the horizon IP attached should attract big numbers and if they still have the traditional horizon gameplay it can recover from a poor forst impression and potentially go on to be a fantastic game. I am a bit skeptical as to whether the horizon combat is fully in there though, I get the impression it will be a massively scaled down and simplified version.
Remain open to having my mind changed and hope to have that happen but on that alone i'll be staying well clear of it.
Think I have played more overwatch than any other game I have ever owned, played it regularly for numerous years, sticking thousands of hours into it and loved it. Was even a top 500 tracer at one point.
However, i haven't play a single second of it since it got renamed to overwatch 2. They killed it, that provided an opportunity for some of its long time captive audience such as myself to escape its clutches and havent seen anything to even slightly tempt me back since. They have seemingly been trying to recreate the old overwatch ever since messing it up but the reality is, we've all moved on now, they shouldnt be trying to recreate old overwatch, they should be turning it into something different for a new audience. Would love for overwatch to have a renaissance but i'll never return.
Weird story. Suggesting a game is hanging in there a week after launch is just mental, doing so whilst numbers plummet, even moreso.
The best thing they can do now is remove the game by their own choice and take it into a closed beta and hope to re-release it further down the line if they can make it much more appealing.
Leaving it out there in the public domain with such minimal interest in it, nobody is ever going to come back to it en masse even if they do manage to make it good. Pretty clear its bleeding out, stem the bleeding by taking it back into beta and you get one more attempt at a relaunch after updates. Leave it as is an it bleeds out and dies within weeks.
@Reeneman you'll have to remind me where I said it didn't...
don't take a comment, interpret it as something entirely different and then claim i said it.
There has been many, many games that have come to ps+ extra over the years that are just flat out broken. be that, game breaking bugs, completely broken trophies, online segments shutdown, abandoned unfinished games etc etc.
This is fact. This is not a suggestion that ALL games are of that nature.
Got to know when to cut your losses. At best, they're turning it into a bland, mediocre game that nobody will play.
What's the point?
You shat the bed, reputation of the game will never be recovered and will take far too much time, money and effort to vaguely polish a turd. Draw a line under it and focus on whatever is next being at least vaguely competent.
@Flaming_Kaiser i've literally no idea how you've read my post and responded with that. Nowhere did I say they should simply abandon the game. I quite literally said its a good thing they're making changes so quickly.
What i also said is it doesnt set an impression that these guys know what they're doing when a basic fundamental, day 1 of development decision is changed within days of release. To reluctantly use a term i generally despise, its a big red flag. that isnt to say they can't or won't turn things around and it certainly isn't to say I somehow hope they don't.
Im content overall purely on getting Ultros. subnautica is fine. I have an issue with AC7 having already been on the service as I do everytime they double dipping which is becoming more and more frequent and undisputed is just a poor choice. Regardless of whether its good or not, it is just far too niche to be a headline essential game. Im fine with it but cant say its a good month.
You've got to question their decision to pivot so quickly. Its a good thing to do so but it creates the question of how the hell did it get to release without seemingly anybody. Or at least not enough of the dev team realizing a fairly huge and fundamental problem. Switching to 5v5 before its a week old just breeds distrust in the devs because its obviously not a core concept or vital to the game to have it be 3v3, it was purely a personal decision and a horrific one.
You really need to know the type of devs asked here. An increasingly large number of trash games come to PC only and quite frankly, nobody on any console would want them ported over anyway. If the question was put mainly to those kind of devs, it wouldnt be remotely surprising.
The smaller titles doing the heavy lifting this month. Ultros i'm interested in and saves the month for me. remember liking the look of that when it came out.
subnautica i'll take, something i'll probably get around to eventually. Other two I've zero interest in, i'll add them and never think of them again.
They're really the type of games that should be "also this month" on extra not essential headliners, (and im pretty sure ace combat already has been on extra) they're far too niche to appeal to a mass audience.
Simply not games you're ever likely to even try if you're not into the genre, and if you are, you've probably got them or passed on them for a reason. Just don't understand the thought process behind these choices other than the likely event that they were cheap to bring in.
Kind of exists already just not in a physical form does it not? If you're genuinely looking for reviews of games, you tend to look for someone you have earmarked as somebody whose opinion you trust for whatever reason so you've basically already critiqued their work.
I ain't looking at a review from Johnny noname and taking it as gospel.
At some point, the interest starts to wane. Reckon we are already there for a lot or very close to that moment, if its nowhere close to release it might not have the hype and attention it might otherwise warrant by the time it eventually comes out.
Such was the non-existant advertising for this, I had completely forgot this was coming out even though I commented on an article about it just last week.
Numbers don't sound great for day 1, you expect that number to nose dive after a week with only very rare occasions seeing increases. If they lose 80-90% of the audience within a fortnight which isn't an untypical to happen, then that isnt a lot of people left.
The months where they offer sports titles (usually annualised ones that are soon to be replaced by the next iteration) are the worst months of the year with the exception of the months where they give us soon to be free to play online multiplayer games. Poor month of that's the headline title but January's superb extra lineup already covers the cost of a years sub anyway.
I think this is going to bomb, at least initially, only if it's exceptional will there be a redemption arc through word of mouth.
Feel for the devs tbh, majority of the negativity surrounding it likely isn't their fault. It's rumoured they didnt ask for or pay for the "one more thing" slot at TGA's but them taking that spot has had a major negative impact on them.
I was never going to play it regardless, zero interest in that kind of game anymore but I am kind of hoping they do alright purely for the misfortune they've had.
I hoped the prince of persia would return but cant really blame them, the last one was a brilliant game that sold nothing and if its not at the standard its pointless carrying on.
You'd have to be utterly braindead to pre-order this. Wait until release.
Its future is ps+. They could have got massive numbers and a huge rush of positivity around it had they released it straight to the ps+ exta service day 1 and then monetise the ***** out of the cosmetics.
Taking the money from sales now and then trying to revive it through ps+ further down the line when the initial buzz dies off is likely the safer option from a financial standpoint though.
It won't be the next Concord, it'll likely do enough to be profitable but dont see how this becomes a major success. Bungie will get this out, keep it going but quickly shift focus to the next destiny.
Majority of Yakuza games are basically the same anyway, especially true for the earlier titles. Remaking a game that was basically iteration 3 of the same game is a new level of milking it.
Banging month for me. Infinite wealth, RE village, expeditions and darkest dungeon 2 will all be downloaded on Tuesday. What i play first is my only issue. Art of rally and exit 8 are 2 games that I may end up trying too.
Dont understand where the problem is. If somebody releases a product that's an updated version then of course they're going to want to promote that above the old one and replacing it makes sense. Apply the principle to anything else and question the sense of that. If an app has a new update, they dont typically leave the old version running too, if a food product changes their recipe, they dint continue making the old one. Its not a new practice, been done plenty of times and isnt a problem. There's plenty of stuff to legitimately complain about instead of this inconsequential thing.
I consider myself a trophy hunter but I've never played any of these type of games and never will, they defeat the whole purpose of trophies in my eyes but I dont think they should be outright removing them. Come up with a better trophy system to prevent these games flooding the store and better still, improve the store itself so that these kind of games get limited coverage and are easily filtered out for those of us not interested in them. Just flat out removing them isn't really solving he issues its just a lazy way of temporarily masking them.
The leaks already made it a very good month, getting darkest dungeon 2 on top of those make it a brilliant month.
RE village, infinite wealth, Expeditions a mudrunner game and darkest dungeon 2 are all instant downloads for me and a couple of the others look like decent enough smaller games I might play between the bigger titles. Great month.
Had 3 of those down in my "due on ps+ anytime now" list in R.E village, infinite wealth and expeditions. So more than content with those 3 and eill play all 3 but hope for a couple of good indies to back it up and make a good month a very good month.
I've included a fair few that I've done on either ps4 or ps3 instead of the ps5 version with the likes of TLOU 1/2, Skyrim, cyberpunk, control and a couple of others but by my count I've got 25/30 games played and platinumed from that list. Silent hill 2 and AC mirage are on my system waiting to go just havent got to them yet, not into final fantasy, mortal kombat, I dont play many fighting games and then soulstorm is the only other one I havent played that I may get around to eventually.
The quality of the offering is fine, not exactly a stellar month but a decent enough one. The problem is nfs unbound has already been on and left ps+ extra so that makes what are competent offerings fairly poor.
The mickey game and core keeper are games i'm not opposed to playing but they're not games i'll bump up the backlog list to play now. they get added to the "i'll play someday if there's nothing else I fancy"
Can honestly say I didnt put a single second into any of them in either year. As somebody who is pretty exclusively single player orientated nowadays it really highlights how marginal my gaming habits are and how niche my taste is
Instantly reminded me of when borderlands 2 shadow dropped a fairly decently sized free dlc many years later in thr lead up to borderlands 3. That worked well because it was free, it was a surprise drop and it was relatively close to borderlands 3, not sure new presumably paid dlc for a decade old game with the new one still years away will go down as well.
Comments 623
Re: Sony Makes Shocking Decision to Shut Down Bluepoint Games
That is an insane decision.nHas to be something more to it for it to make any sense at all. Makes you wonder why they constantly buy studios only to shut them down later, just open your own studio, use the money saved from acquiring them to pay staff well enough to poach the talent from elsewhere, much cheaper.
Sony are so, so fortunate Xbox shat the bed and withdrew themselves from the "console war" because Playstation ate doing everything possible to tank their stellar reputation. Ironically, Xbox with all three studios theyve acquired could now have an insane collection of 1st party IP that would rival and arguably better Sony's. This is probably a good example of why competition is needed though as complacency is good for nobody.
Re: 'If You Found It Boring, This Won't Change That': Starfield's PS5 Port to Be Revealed Soon, But Don't Expect Major Reinvention
Genuinely forgot this even existed. Has to be one of the biggest disappointments in recent gaming history although admittedly the hype wasn't all their own doing. Only way i ever play this game is if it comes to ps+ which i suspect it will at some point.
Re: Failing FPS Highguard's Concord Arc Seems Almost Complete as Website Goes Down
Never wish for failure and certainly wouldnt revel in it but I don't feel any sympathy either and feel like its failure is ultimately a positive thing for the industry.
Another reminder not to stick out half baked, generic titles and expect a hit just because you've found wealthy backers and have people working on it who have had hits before. You have to have a genuinely good idea (it helps if it's unqiue) and execute it well to be successful in the GaaS sector, as it should be.
Re: Poll: Should God of War Trilogy Remake Adopt the Gameplay Style of Ragnarok?
I have no strong preference either way, I enjoyed both styles. However I do feel like a complete remake of the trilogy in the 2018 style would appeal more both to me and a wider audience as it is then basically a new game and not simply yet another remake.
I dont think i'd feel compelled to play it if the remake turned out to be just the old games with a modern gloss of paint, i've already played that multiple times over and shinier visuals doesn't entice me to want to play it again especially at considerable expense.
Re: Opinion: The Euphoric Reaction to PS6's Rumoured Delay Really Confuses Me
The only real argument put forward in this article for a new console anytime soon is to "push developers forward" this simply doesnt track with today's world.
Which devs are being held back and need new hardware to push them forward? Nobody has got remotely close to maxing out the ps5's capabilities nevermind the ps5 pro.
Console lifespan has typically been fairly consistent because the rate of advancement remained consistent, that is no longer the case. Undeniably, the advancements have dwindled but the key thing is average development time needed has substantially increased.
Gone are the days where you saw whole trilogies of games release on one generation of console, some devs are now struggling to get a single game out in a typical generation. This is the key reason why nobody needs new hardware anytime soon. Naughty dog were getting uncharted trilogy and TLOU out well within the ps3's lifespan, at present, we'll be lucky if they get a single game out in the same timeframe.
I dont think i've spoken to a single person who is eagerly awaiting a new console. Its funny that the article mentions console improvements being more comparable to incremental improvements of mobiles as I also think the consumer demand for those products echoes phones too. It used to be that everybody wanted the latest model every year and hardly anybody was more than a year or 2 behind but nowadays it feels like (at least comparatively) nobody really cares as long as its got the basics and people are happy to stick with what they've got until they're forced to replace it
This entire article seems incredibly out of touch to me, but I will accept that perhaps it is i that is out of touch.
Re: Huzzah! PS Plus Premium's Latest Retro Release Has a Platinum Trophy
Good news. Can't say i have any nostalgia for Wall:E but I'll probably get round to playing it at some point now just to lend my support for the inclusion of trophies in these premium games. I'm sure the data Sony have will show a noticeable increase in players when there are trophies involved. They should be pushing for trophy support in all premium titles, it's a very simple and easy boost to engagement.
Re: 6 More PS5, PS4 Games Will Be Removed from PS Plus Extra Next Month
Highly recommend playing circus electrique. It is a fantastic game. I'm lead to believe its similar to darkest dungeon for those wondering.
Re: Impressive Crash Bandicoot Level Made in Dreams Once Again Demonstrates Its Dashed Potential
I wouldnt even be able to create one of the creates. Seriously impressive and once again shows the potential dreams had. Dreams should not have been the flop it was given its potential. Really poorly handled imo.
Re: Sony Considering PS6 Delay to 2028 or Even 2029, New Report Says
The surprise here is it would take the RAM issues to delay it until then. There is absolutely no need for a PS6 anytime soon.
Two things to look at. The technology and finances.
With regards to the first one, The PS5 isn't holding anything back, there is still plenty to get out of that system. The leap forward in technology has stalled, it is no longer a leap and more of a crawl at best plus the games aren't there. they take forever to be made now which combined with the lack of technological advancement should automatically extend lifespan far beyond the traditional time anyway. 7 years might be the traditional lifespan but the dev time of games was also less than a year or 2 at most, now it's 4-5 years so that should be reflected in the console lifespan too.
Then you have to look at it financially. The economy is in the gutter, asking people to shell out what is probably going to be the best part of a grand is mental, even moreso when there will be next to zero profit in it for Sony. they're simply far better off sticking with the ps5, let people spend that money on games with much higher margins over a new console. Is there anybody that thinks the ps5 feels outdated and they need a new shiny console? Most games could still run on a ps4, some do and barely any are using the ps5 pro. They should be looking at the next decade for a new machine, it just isn't needed.
Re: These Console Classics May Have the Laziest Trophy Lists in PS5 History
To me it displays laziness and a lack of care to the quality of the product they're releasing. If a dev is going to put zero effort in with trophies or in other cases ignore them entirely or include broken ones that are never fixed then i'm not willing to trust that they haven't shown the same lack of effort and detailing with the rest of the game. It doesn't neccesarily make that the case, but its the impression it gives.
Re: 'I Feel Cheated and I Want a Refund': Fans Lash Out at New PS5 God of War's Unlockable Local Multiplayer Mode
Its not false advertising at all. By this story, It's an unlockable mode that requires no further purchases just simply progression so where's the false advertising? Nowhere did it state its available from the start, they're blaming others for their own wrong assumptions.
What's next, you see a weapon on the cover art of a game that's only unlocked late into the game and so people demand refunds because they didnt get it from the start? Bunch of grade A bankers moaning about nothing.
Re: 10 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for February 2026 Announced
@Rocky1972 didnt think this needed explaining to somebody allowed on the internet unsupervised but apparently you've proven it does so here is your infant level basic maths lesson.
You dont pay £120 for premium, the cost of premium alone and the benefits you get from that tier is £120 minus the cost of extra which is £100. This means the cost of premium is £20 p/a or £1.66 per month.
My 7 year old nephew will gladly give you some private tutoring for a bit of pocket money if you're still struggling to understand.
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate State of Play for February 2026?
Solid but unspectacular for me. Nothing wow'd me, a few somewhat interesting reveals amongst a lot of filler. Kena 2 probably the best new reveal, that did look like a upgrade in scope and scale from a very decent first entry. still think that Darwins paradox looks like one of the most interesting games everytime it is shown, reckon that will be a sleeper hit.
More i see of Saros, the less convinced I am, feels like they're making it more accessible as with the majority of big 2dt party titles which basically means making it easy and non-challenging. Housemarque games have thrived off being challenging so really hope that is not the case as that is the only thing that could ruin what should be a banker of a hit.
Re: 10 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for February 2026 Announced
Every month without fail, people expect considerably more from Premium for their hefty £1.66 a month.
Re: 10 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for February 2026 Announced
Consider the barrel well and truly scrapped. No wonder they didnt bother announcing the rest after Spiderman 2 at the state of play. Normally, i'd suggest all the budget went on bringing the big hitter that month but it's cost them nothing given it's a 1st party title.
Re: Here's Your Chance to Tell Sony What You Think of Horizon Hunters Gathering
Wouldn't like to be the people tasked with sieveing through all the replies.
Re: Rumour: 'Most' of Highguard's Dev Team Laid Off Just Two Weeks After Live Service Shooter's Launch
How many of those devs are laid off simply because their job is done though as opposed to those losing their jobs because they can't afford to keep them on? Didnt they say a week or so ago, they can survive on a tiny player base?
As with any game, certain roles become obsolete the second a game is released so it makes no sense to be employing people with nothing to do anymore. About time the games media accept that game dev work is essentially contracted. A building site isn't going to hire an electrician or a plasterer when they're laying foundations, nor are they going to need to keep a bricklayer once the shell of the build is finished, devs have got to get used to going into a role for a specific period and then moving on once their job is done, games cost too much now to be keeping staff they dont need on.
Re: The Best Soulslike Around, Lies of P Is a Big Sales Success
Nioh series are the best soulslike games and that is even including fromsoft games, i think the surge 2 is also right up there.
Just started Lies of P but i started it straight off the back of getting the wo long:fallen dynasty platinum (which is essentially the sekiro of the nioh world) and this feels painfully clunky in comparison.
So much so actually that i'm considering just abandoning it for now and returning later once the muscle memory has faded from wo long just so that I don't tarnish my opinions on it forever as it does not currently stack up well in comparison by a wide margin.
Re: 20 PS5 Predictions for State of Play February 2026
Saros will take up a large portion of the runtime with an overly long dive into the game.
Insomniac and particularly Wolverine to play a prominent role.
My wild prediction is marathon releases on to ps+ day 1. Speaking of which, i also predicted spider- man 2 coming to extra next month just last week before this state of play was announced, seems like a much more realistic bet now, they always save the better, headline titles for these shows.
Re: Poll: What's Your Reaction to Horizon Hunters Gathering?
Artstyle is a monumental cockup. Just an all round horrific choice. Remains to be seen as to whether the game itself is any good, I'm not brimming with optimism from what I watched, quite the opposite infact, and I was somebody who liked the idea of a monster hunter style horizon game
Re: Sony Finally Confirms Horizon Co-Op Game, Horizon Hunters Gathering for PS5, PC
Wow. The artstyle is absolutely horrendous. Immediately puts me off almost entirely and i'm somebody eho is typically all about gameplay. Very difficult to look beyond it though, just screams low budget, rip off of existing game/s.
If I can look past it for a second, there's still nothing grabbing me from that. When I heard about an online monster hunter style horizon game, i was all on board for it, the superb gameplay of the actual horizon games in that kind of environment could make for a brilliant game, this isn't what I had thought they'd be going for by a long shot.
I suspect they'll be a hefty amount of negativity towards this awful reveal until they start showing the beta in action. Having the horizon IP attached should attract big numbers and if they still have the traditional horizon gameplay it can recover from a poor forst impression and potentially go on to be a fantastic game. I am a bit skeptical as to whether the horizon combat is fully in there though, I get the impression it will be a massively scaled down and simplified version.
Remain open to having my mind changed and hope to have that happen but on that alone i'll be staying well clear of it.
Re: Overwatch Ditches the 2, Launches 5 New Heroes in Blizzard's Bid to Revive the Shooter
Think I have played more overwatch than any other game I have ever owned, played it regularly for numerous years, sticking thousands of hours into it and loved it. Was even a top 500 tracer at one point.
However, i haven't play a single second of it since it got renamed to overwatch 2. They killed it, that provided an opportunity for some of its long time captive audience such as myself to escape its clutches and havent seen anything to even slightly tempt me back since. They have seemingly been trying to recreate the old overwatch ever since messing it up but the reality is, we've all moved on now, they shouldnt be trying to recreate old overwatch, they should be turning it into something different for a new audience. Would love for overwatch to have a renaissance but i'll never return.
Re: Highguard Player Count Is Actually Hanging in There as It Makes 5v5 Mode Permanent
Weird story. Suggesting a game is hanging in there a week after launch is just mental, doing so whilst numbers plummet, even moreso.
The best thing they can do now is remove the game by their own choice and take it into a closed beta and hope to re-release it further down the line if they can make it much more appealing.
Leaving it out there in the public domain with such minimal interest in it, nobody is ever going to come back to it en masse even if they do manage to make it good. Pretty clear its bleeding out, stem the bleeding by taking it back into beta and you get one more attempt at a relaunch after updates. Leave it as is an it bleeds out and dies within weeks.
Re: Rumour: MindsEye Dev Splits From Hitman Publisher, Seeks to Fix 2025's Biggest Flop
@Reeneman you'll have to remind me where I said it didn't...
don't take a comment, interpret it as something entirely different and then claim i said it.
There has been many, many games that have come to ps+ extra over the years that are just flat out broken. be that, game breaking bugs, completely broken trophies, online segments shutdown, abandoned unfinished games etc etc.
This is fact. This is not a suggestion that ALL games are of that nature.
Re: Rumour: MindsEye Dev Splits From Hitman Publisher, Seeks to Fix 2025's Biggest Flop
@Titntin it will without a doubt be an extra title within the next 18 months. Sony love bringing broken games to the service.
Re: Rumour: MindsEye Dev Splits From Hitman Publisher, Seeks to Fix 2025's Biggest Flop
Got to know when to cut your losses. At best, they're turning it into a bland, mediocre game that nobody will play.
What's the point?
You shat the bed, reputation of the game will never be recovered and will take far too much time, money and effort to vaguely polish a turd. Draw a line under it and focus on whatever is next being at least vaguely competent.
Re: Highguard Already Trying Something Different as Player Numbers Plummet
@Flaming_Kaiser i've literally no idea how you've read my post and responded with that. Nowhere did I say they should simply abandon the game. I quite literally said its a good thing they're making changes so quickly.
What i also said is it doesnt set an impression that these guys know what they're doing when a basic fundamental, day 1 of development decision is changed within days of release. To reluctantly use a term i generally despise, its a big red flag. that isnt to say they can't or won't turn things around and it certainly isn't to say I somehow hope they don't.
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Essential Games for February 2026?
Im content overall purely on getting Ultros. subnautica is fine. I have an issue with AC7 having already been on the service as I do everytime they double dipping which is becoming more and more frequent and undisputed is just a poor choice. Regardless of whether its good or not, it is just far too niche to be a headline essential game. Im fine with it but cant say its a good month.
Re: Highguard Already Trying Something Different as Player Numbers Plummet
You've got to question their decision to pivot so quickly. Its a good thing to do so but it creates the question of how the hell did it get to release without seemingly anybody. Or at least not enough of the dev team realizing a fairly huge and fundamental problem. Switching to 5v5 before its a week old just breeds distrust in the devs because its obviously not a core concept or vital to the game to have it be 3v3, it was purely a personal decision and a horrific one.
Re: GDC Survey Reveals Developers Are Twice as Interested in Making Games for PS5 Than Xbox
You really need to know the type of devs asked here. An increasingly large number of trash games come to PC only and quite frankly, nobody on any console would want them ported over anyway. If the question was put mainly to those kind of devs, it wouldnt be remotely surprising.
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for February 2026 Announced
The smaller titles doing the heavy lifting this month. Ultros i'm interested in and saves the month for me. remember liking the look of that when it came out.
subnautica i'll take, something i'll probably get around to eventually. Other two I've zero interest in, i'll add them and never think of them again.
They're really the type of games that should be "also this month" on extra not essential headliners, (and im pretty sure ace combat already has been on extra) they're far too niche to appeal to a mass audience.
Simply not games you're ever likely to even try if you're not into the genre, and if you are, you've probably got them or passed on them for a reason. Just don't understand the thought process behind these choices other than the likely event that they were cheap to bring in.
Re: Larian CEO Swen Vincke Sticks His Foot in It Again, Thinks Game Reviewers Should Also Be Reviewed
Kind of exists already just not in a physical form does it not? If you're genuinely looking for reviews of games, you tend to look for someone you have earmarked as somebody whose opinion you trust for whatever reason so you've basically already critiqued their work.
I ain't looking at a review from Johnny noname and taking it as gospel.
Re: Judas PS5 Dev Spent 5 Years Perfecting Its Core Mechanic
At some point, the interest starts to wane. Reckon we are already there for a lot or very close to that moment, if its nowhere close to release it might not have the hype and attention it might otherwise warrant by the time it eventually comes out.
Re: Highguard Doesn't Do a Concord, But Reception Is Lukewarm
Such was the non-existant advertising for this, I had completely forgot this was coming out even though I commented on an article about it just last week.
Numbers don't sound great for day 1, you expect that number to nose dive after a week with only very rare occasions seeing increases. If they lose 80-90% of the audience within a fortnight which isn't an untypical to happen, then that isnt a lot of people left.
Re: PS Plus Essential Game for February 2026 Leaked
The months where they offer sports titles (usually annualised ones that are soon to be replaced by the next iteration) are the worst months of the year with the exception of the months where they give us soon to be free to play online multiplayer games. Poor month of that's the headline title but January's superb extra lineup already covers the cost of a years sub anyway.
Re: Highguard Finally Breaks Silence, Watch the Launch Showcase Next Week
I think this is going to bomb, at least initially, only if it's exceptional will there be a redemption arc through word of mouth.
Feel for the devs tbh, majority of the negativity surrounding it likely isn't their fault. It's rumoured they didnt ask for or pay for the "one more thing" slot at TGA's but them taking that spot has had a major negative impact on them.
I was never going to play it regardless, zero interest in that kind of game anymore but I am kind of hoping they do alright purely for the misfortune they've had.
Re: Prince of Persia Remake and 5 Other Games Cancelled by Ubisoft
I hoped the prince of persia would return but cant really blame them, the last one was a brilliant game that sold nothing and if its not at the standard its pointless carrying on.
Re: The End of an Era: Sony Spins Off Iconic Television Business
Always bought Sony TV's. Just knew I'd be getting a quality TV that'll last. Nothing sounds like that guarantee will no longer be the case. Sad news.
Re: Marathon PS5 Officially Dated for 5th March, Up for Pre-Order at $40
You'd have to be utterly braindead to pre-order this. Wait until release.
Its future is ps+. They could have got massive numbers and a huge rush of positivity around it had they released it straight to the ps+ exta service day 1 and then monetise the ***** out of the cosmetics.
Taking the money from sales now and then trying to revive it through ps+ further down the line when the initial buzz dies off is likely the safer option from a financial standpoint though.
It won't be the next Concord, it'll likely do enough to be profitable but dont see how this becomes a major success. Bungie will get this out, keep it going but quickly shift focus to the next destiny.
Re: 'Respect the Original, But Don't Rely on It': Yakuza Kiwami 3 Director on Remaking a 'Rough' Game
Majority of Yakuza games are basically the same anyway, especially true for the earlier titles. Remaking a game that was basically iteration 3 of the same game is a new level of milking it.
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for January 2026?
Banging month for me. Infinite wealth, RE village, expeditions and darkest dungeon 2 will all be downloaded on Tuesday. What i play first is my only issue. Art of rally and exit 8 are 2 games that I may end up trying too.
Re: Yakuza's Makers Have Made Another Unforced Error
Dont understand where the problem is. If somebody releases a product that's an updated version then of course they're going to want to promote that above the old one and replacing it makes sense. Apply the principle to anything else and question the sense of that. If an app has a new update, they dont typically leave the old version running too, if a food product changes their recipe, they dint continue making the old one. Its not a new practice, been done plenty of times and isnt a problem. There's plenty of stuff to legitimately complain about instead of this inconsequential thing.
Re: Sony Nukes Thousands of Shovelware Games from PS5, PS4
I consider myself a trophy hunter but I've never played any of these type of games and never will, they defeat the whole purpose of trophies in my eyes but I dont think they should be outright removing them. Come up with a better trophy system to prevent these games flooding the store and better still, improve the store itself so that these kind of games get limited coverage and are easily filtered out for those of us not interested in them. Just flat out removing them isn't really solving he issues its just a lazy way of temporarily masking them.
Re: 9 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for January 2026 Announced
The leaks already made it a very good month, getting darkest dungeon 2 on top of those make it a brilliant month.
RE village, infinite wealth, Expeditions a mudrunner game and darkest dungeon 2 are all instant downloads for me and a couple of the others look like decent enough smaller games I might play between the bigger titles. Great month.
Re: PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for January 2026 Leaked
Had 3 of those down in my "due on ps+ anytime now" list in R.E village, infinite wealth and expeditions. So more than content with those 3 and eill play all 3 but hope for a couple of good indies to back it up and make a good month a very good month.
Re: Best Single Player Games on PS Plus
I've included a fair few that I've done on either ps4 or ps3 instead of the ps5 version with the likes of TLOU 1/2, Skyrim, cyberpunk, control and a couple of others but by my count I've got 25/30 games played and platinumed from that list. Silent hill 2 and AC mirage are on my system waiting to go just havent got to them yet, not into final fantasy, mortal kombat, I dont play many fighting games and then soulstorm is the only other one I havent played that I may get around to eventually.
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Essential Games for January 2026?
The quality of the offering is fine, not exactly a stellar month but a decent enough one. The problem is nfs unbound has already been on and left ps+ extra so that makes what are competent offerings fairly poor.
The mickey game and core keeper are games i'm not opposed to playing but they're not games i'll bump up the backlog list to play now. they get added to the "i'll play someday if there's nothing else I fancy"
Re: From the Makers of Redout, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift Is Looking Really Promising
This sounds like a very interesting idea. Remains to be seen whether its executed well but the idea of a roguelite racer is appealing.
Also feels like a prime ps+ day 1 title
Re: You'll Never Guess the Most Played PS5, PS4 Games of 2025 in the US
Can honestly say I didnt put a single second into any of them in either year. As somebody who is pretty exclusively single player orientated nowadays it really highlights how marginal my gaming habits are and how niche my taste is
Re: The Witcher 3 Really Could Be Getting a New Expansion on PS5 in 2026
Instantly reminded me of when borderlands 2 shadow dropped a fairly decently sized free dlc many years later in thr lead up to borderlands 3. That worked well because it was free, it was a surprise drop and it was relatively close to borderlands 3, not sure new presumably paid dlc for a decade old game with the new one still years away will go down as well.