As somebody who loved first two games, I think this one is already on it's way to crash and burn. It's interesting how a very similar art style worked for PoP, but just feels so generic and soulless here. There was literally nothing in that trailer that triggered any emotion in me whatsoever. Probably worse then if I actively disliked it, I just couldn't be bothered to care.
As I've said elsewhere on site, GoY is a much better game then online chatter would lead you to believe. In my experience it's basically better in every way compared to GoT. What it does suffer from though is being a sequel to almost perfect game, which means that it itself being almost perfect is to be expected by many people. I feel like that is where lack of chatter and excitement is coming from, quality just being assumed at this point.
Not sure how many are interested, but as somebody who likes a bit of racing here and there, F1 25 is a great game to add to collection. EA will be skipping a standalone release this year (so your investment will stay relevant for longer) and I feel reviews in general were too harsh. Team rebalanced the whole racing model which to me feels best on average through the whole series (previous favorite was 23 which was a bit tanky, but 24 was just unplayable), and amount of content included is also quite decent (again, these come in waves, one game feels light, sequel feels packed).
@Fiendish-Beaver to be fair budgets, targets, timelines.. are always factors and forever will be. But they are almost never the only drivers, usually not primary, and for the love of all that is holy companies are mostly not as tone-deaf to come out with those motivators as their North Star in PR and marketing materials.
I finally started this game, and damn it's looking good and feeling fun. No idea why it wasn't as loved and appreciated as it seems to deserve to me. Also, 90% of the time you can hit photo mode and create a post card from game world. Amazing. Anyway, I'm glad it's seeing commercial success
How, just how. They reset development and then cancelled a REMAKE. It's an existing game you are just recreating in a new engine, how can you mess up so badly?? Ubisoft has been trending downward for a long time, but this takes the cake. Their downfall needs to be studied
Assuming it's true, not sure why just not call it something else? As somebody who played 1&2, I got disappointed with the lack of interactivity and will absolutely care less about 3. On the other hand people who adored them most likely don't want more action oriented entry.. it's not like there is a lot of brand value in forcing Hellblade even through reboot..
Amazing and somehow underrated game. I've said it before, if there is one way to add post-release content and dip your toes into live service pool (as a developer), copy what GT7 did. Never have I felt like any additional payment was necessary from me (nor have I ever actually spent any money before Power Pack), but I've been enjoying the game for a few years now, and it's still fresh enough. However, I'm not sure what Polyphony can do for GT8... over the years they reinvented the series over and over again, so I don't doubt they'll do it again. I just don't see how
Man these comments.. admittedly show closer was a bit of a letdown, but almost everything that came before it was great. Might have been my favorite show in a long time. It's ok not to critique everything!
It's interesting how Xbox hire-ups always believe proper path forward is not the one they don't have hands dealt for. And it fundamentally switches with every new hand.. just a while back they were also claiming gaming should be accessible to everyone and GP was profitable (as a proof of economically stable affordable model), but here we are.
I absolutely agree with their take, and would even follow up by saying such platform specific hardware features integrated into core gameplay are the reason why Nintendo has been doing well for so long. Hopefully PS6 continues that trend instead of being a more powerful PC.
Sorry to be the bearer of gloom and doom, but I don't think this was done as a new user requested feature or something. Many EU countries have a legal regulation where lowest price in last 30 days HAS to be listed on any offering. So I think Sony is just covering all the basis.. still better then nothing (law does exist for a reason).
@Rich33 Xbox version could not be considered an improvement. And going by those release notes, this will most likely be just porting those changes to PS5. :/
It doesn't seem to be mentioned enough, but Mark Cerny is an absolute legend! I had to rewatch Xbox+AMD video just to refresh my memory and remove bias as much as possible, but damn.. this is how you present new technologies, not by dialing explosive music to 11 and introducing 9000 superlatives into conversation.
I already own AW2 and all DLC, but these are incredible value. Such an amazing game, and each DLC is a different spin on gameplay (when they could all easily be just extra few hours of same).
Might actually run through campaign over the weekend. I never actually pay for CoD but do engage when they get added into services. Unfortunately for Microsoft, I'm not the targeted audience (zero motivation to participate in online shooter).
Dark Pictures Anthology games are good fun, but there is still time to play through them. Episodes are rather short, and assuming you are not targeting ALL potential playthroughs, each can be beat in 7-10 hours.
Anticipation has been high.. and I got myself into a tricky situation where I can't purchase the game as I'm getting it as a birthday gift in a couple of months. Stay vigilant!
Housemarque has earned enough of my trust to be hyped about what they do. I'll be tuning in to see what it's all about. As for the rest, keeping my expectations low, so that everything else is a bonus.
Power mode is not something I would really care about, but controller pairing with multiple devices has been a lifechanger. One of my favorite features, and I believe every new console should have it from the get go.
Wouldn't use one in FF7, but I've gone back to The Messenger lately.. sometimes I feel like I would greatly appreciate a mode like this (not really though)
@Ricky-Spanish if there was any, I honestly don't remember it. When I think back to Hellblade 2, only thing coming back is me walking SLOWLY next to people giving me exposition, and then me walking slightly faster without NPCs in generally straight direction.
And somewhere in there I believe the gun was jumped, as I enjoyed the first game significantly more (I remember most gameplay elements from H1, years ago)
@Nepp67 big difference between DS2 and Hellblade 2. One is a game, the other is a scripted tech demo that can be beaten by holding pressed forward. Hats off for DS2 though, they really set a new visual benchmark.
@Ricky-Spanish assuming 600k estimate is somewhat correct, you can get a certain feeling (as number 1 and 4 combined) about how much you can expect from 2, 3, and 5.
EA UFC 5 was a huge disappointment for me when it got added. I expected something new, but it ended up being just a slightly worse previous entry. Witcher: Wild hunt and Star Wars are a blast, everyone should try that out while they can. Don't really care about the rest..
Very good month. I do already own a couple of these, but there are still at least three I wanted to try out and Unicorn Overlord has been in my shopping cart for a while.. PS Plus had a few great months.
I've missed the price earlier.. wow! This 3-4 hours tech demo (probably on the same level of interactivity Witcher 4 demo would be if released publicly) costs more than let's say Expedition 33? What a world we live in.. MS really wants Ninja theory to fail
I'm just glad review score was fair. There were so many 8-9/10 when it first released, I was questioning if I actually downloaded the same "game" from Xbox store. It truly looks good, but it fundamentally fails at being a video game.
@Rich33 I didn't mean anything bad by it Soulslike are just typically too hard for me, and not exactly my thing as I like my gaming more casual. Easier difficulty might actually do wonders here, as I'm intrigued by the world they created..
I've already downloaded, got angry with, and deleted Lies of P before. But I'll be doing it again, just to check if my emotions still get that high for gaming...
Out of all that data, my biggest surprise is how well MH Rise did. It's most successful in the franchise I love that game (primarily played on Switch) and it's scaled down approach. Very nice to see the world agrees.
In a twist I didn't foresee, an excellent month of games. Cyberpunk has become an amazing game, and I'm interested in Banishers, Twisted metals, Tropico 6, Risk of rain 2,.. yeah, good list:)
@Danloaded same thing for me, it was a bit convoluted where I had to install a non default standard version, and a second game choice from a dropdown I don't know what the choices within it actually are.
I'll give Diablo 4 another try. I did play it when it originally hit GP and wasn't really fond of it. Over the years Diablo has just grown old on me. But, I'm looking forward to King of Fighters (Jusant is another game that didn't stay installed for long on my machine).
Kind of always expected Like a Dragon series and Atlus titles could not have been as mainstream appealing as media made it out to be. Honestly, I can have fun with Like a Dragon game, but will almost always (except maybe Judgment subseries) wait for it to appear on a subscription. Atlus games I just don't understand the buzz of (and I see myself as an average consumer).
I might be the only one, but I really hope we don't move the way of branded PC boxes. Years ago I've stopped being a PC gamer due to all the issues and friction between me as a consumer and an operating game, and I don't wanna go back. Console experience is what has held me in the gaming market for this long (basically 30 years).
I love how I played first few hours of the first game, can watch this trailer and understand absolutely nothing. Nothing has been spoiled for me, because I didn't get anything. Not sure if beautiful or just bizarre..
Khm, if you train your user base not to buy games (GP), they totally unexpectedly won't buy games! And will only play what they are provided through subscription service. Amazing how that works.
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Re: Poll: What's Your Reaction to Horizon Hunters Gathering?
As somebody who loved first two games, I think this one is already on it's way to crash and burn.
It's interesting how a very similar art style worked for PoP, but just feels so generic and soulless here. There was literally nothing in that trailer that triggered any emotion in me whatsoever. Probably worse then if I actively disliked it, I just couldn't be bothered to care.
Re: Launch-Aligned, Ghost of Yotei PS5 Is Selling Better Than Tsushima
As I've said elsewhere on site, GoY is a much better game then online chatter would lead you to believe.
In my experience it's basically better in every way compared to GoT. What it does suffer from though is being a sequel to almost perfect game, which means that it itself being almost perfect is to be expected by many people. I feel like that is where lack of chatter and excitement is coming from, quality just being assumed at this point.
Re: 70+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's Critics' Choice Sale
Not sure how many are interested, but as somebody who likes a bit of racing here and there, F1 25 is a great game to add to collection.
EA will be skipping a standalone release this year (so your investment will stay relevant for longer) and I feel reviews in general were too harsh. Team rebalanced the whole racing model which to me feels best on average through the whole series (previous favorite was 23 which was a bit tanky, but 24 was just unplayable), and amount of content included is also quite decent (again, these come in waves, one game feels light, sequel feels packed).
Re: Xbox's Obsidian Seemingly Kills The Outer Worlds, Third Game Not Planned
@Fiendish-Beaver to be fair budgets, targets, timelines.. are always factors and forever will be. But they are almost never the only drivers, usually not primary, and for the love of all that is holy companies are mostly not as tone-deaf to come out with those motivators as their North Star in PR and marketing materials.
Re: In a Sea of Live Service, Ghost of Yotei Was the Third Best-Selling PS5 Game of 2025 in the US
I finally started this game, and damn it's looking good and feeling fun. No idea why it wasn't as loved and appreciated as it seems to deserve to me.
Also, 90% of the time you can hit photo mode and create a post card from game world. Amazing.
Anyway, I'm glad it's seeing commercial success
Re: Prince of Persia Remake and 5 Other Games Cancelled by Ubisoft
How, just how. They reset development and then cancelled a REMAKE. It's an existing game you are just recreating in a new engine, how can you mess up so badly??
Ubisoft has been trending downward for a long time, but this takes the cake. Their downfall needs to be studied
Re: PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for January 2026 Leaked
If true that is a very strong list. I would be happy even if that was it.
Re: Hellblade Dev Plotting a More Gameplay Focused Successor, Presumably for PS5
Assuming it's true, not sure why just not call it something else?
As somebody who played 1&2, I got disappointed with the lack of interactivity and will absolutely care less about 3. On the other hand people who adored them most likely don't want more action oriented entry.. it's not like there is a lot of brand value in forcing Hellblade even through reboot..
Re: 'Sony's Never Experienced This Phenomenon Before': PS5 Smash Hit Gran Turismo 7 Getting Stronger Over Time
Amazing and somehow underrated game. I've said it before, if there is one way to add post-release content and dip your toes into live service pool (as a developer), copy what GT7 did. Never have I felt like any additional payment was necessary from me (nor have I ever actually spent any money before Power Pack), but I've been enjoying the game for a few years now, and it's still fresh enough.
However, I'm not sure what Polyphony can do for GT8... over the years they reinvented the series over and over again, so I don't doubt they'll do it again. I just don't see how
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate The Game Awards 2025?
Man these comments.. admittedly show closer was a bit of a letdown, but almost everything that came before it was great. Might have been my favorite show in a long time. It's ok not to critique everything!
Re: 3 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for December 2025 Leaked Early
Wow, good list. I'll at least try 3/3.
Re: Another PS Plus Extra Game Expires in December 2025
Oh, Forkspoken.. just terrible news. Moving on..
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 UK Sales Plummet 61% Compared to Black Ops 6
Gonna be some accountability inspections going around..
Re: First PS Plus Extra Game for December 2025 Announced
Yes. Beating that before Rockstar pulls it from the service.
Re: First PS Plus Essential Game for November 2025 Leaked
Played through Stray on PS Extra. Good game, I'll gladly add it to my permanent PS Plus lib.
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
It's interesting how Xbox hire-ups always believe proper path forward is not the one they don't have hands dealt for. And it fundamentally switches with every new hand.. just a while back they were also claiming gaming should be accessible to everyone and GP was profitable (as a proof of economically stable affordable model), but here we are.
Re: PS5 Has Been 'Special' Thanks to SSD, DualSense Features Rather Than Visuals
I absolutely agree with their take, and would even follow up by saying such platform specific hardware features integrated into core gameplay are the reason why Nintendo has been doing well for so long. Hopefully PS6 continues that trend instead of being a more powerful PC.
Re: PS Store Quietly Adds Crucial New Feature for PS5, PS4 Deals
Sorry to be the bearer of gloom and doom, but I don't think this was done as a new user requested feature or something. Many EU countries have a legal regulation where lowest price in last 30 days HAS to be listed on any offering. So I think Sony is just covering all the basis.. still better then nothing (law does exist for a reason).
Re: Black Myth: Wukong Will Soon Run Better on PS5, But You'll Need to Prepare for the Patch
@Rich33 Xbox version could not be considered an improvement. And going by those release notes, this will most likely be just porting those changes to PS5. :/
Re: PS6 Out 'in a Few Years' as Sony, AMD Discuss the Future of Games
It doesn't seem to be mentioned enough, but Mark Cerny is an absolute legend! I had to rewatch Xbox+AMD video just to refresh my memory and remove bias as much as possible, but damn.. this is how you present new technologies, not by dialing explosive music to 11 and introducing 9000 superlatives into conversation.
Re: New PS Plus Game Alan Wake 2 Offers All Its DLC at a Bargain Price
I already own AW2 and all DLC, but these are incredible value. Such an amazing game, and each DLC is a different spin on gameplay (when they could all easily be just extra few hours of same).
Re: Black Ops 6 Trial Will Let You Play the Full Single Player Story for Free on PS5, PS4
Might actually run through campaign over the weekend. I never actually pay for CoD but do engage when they get added into services. Unfortunately for Microsoft, I'm not the targeted audience (zero motivation to participate in online shooter).
Re: PS Plus Extra Loses Two More PS5, PS4 Games in October 2025
Dark Pictures Anthology games are good fun, but there is still time to play through them. Episodes are rather short, and assuming you are not targeting ALL potential playthroughs, each can be beat in 7-10 hours.
Re: Ghost of Yotei Gets a Near Perfect Score in Japan's Most Famous Gaming Magazine
Anticipation has been high.. and I got myself into a tricky situation where I can't purchase the game as I'm getting it as a birthday gift in a couple of months.
Stay vigilant!
Re: New PS5 Slim Is Cheaper in Every Way Except the Retail Price, New Teardown Video Reveals
I see Austin Evans, I skip.. (no doubt new revision is cheaper to make, I just can't stand his subjective opinions)
Re: PlayStation's New 'Rewards' Program Goes Down Like a Lead Balloon
This program is an insult to intelligence. What were they thinking? Acting like buying a pin is some sort of invite only club with a queue..
Re: State of Play Confirmed for 24th September, 35 Minutes of PS5 News and Reveals
Housemarque has earned enough of my trust to be hyped about what they do. I'll be tuning in to see what it's all about.
As for the rest, keeping my expectations low, so that everything else is a bonus.
Re: Even More Xbox Price Increases Make PS5 Look Like a Good Deal
As long as the price increase is limited to US, I'm perfectly fine with this. Apologies to those who are offended by that.
Re: PS5 Firmware Update Out Tomorrow, Brings Power Saver Mode, DualSense Controller Pairing
Power mode is not something I would really care about, but controller pairing with multiple devices has been a lifechanger. One of my favorite features, and I believe every new console should have it from the get go.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Adds 'Cheats' on Switch 2, Xbox, But No Mention of PS5
Wouldn't use one in FF7, but I've gone back to The Messenger lately.. sometimes I feel like I would greatly appreciate a mode like this (not really though)
Re: 'Intergalactic's the Most Ambitious Game We've Ever Made': Neil Druckmann Teases Naughty Dog's Next PS5 Project
@Ricky-Spanish if there was any, I honestly don't remember it. When I think back to Hellblade 2, only thing coming back is me walking SLOWLY next to people giving me exposition, and then me walking slightly faster without NPCs in generally straight direction.
And somewhere in there I believe the gun was jumped, as I enjoyed the first game significantly more (I remember most gameplay elements from H1, years ago)
Re: 'Intergalactic's the Most Ambitious Game We've Ever Made': Neil Druckmann Teases Naughty Dog's Next PS5 Project
@Nepp67 big difference between DS2 and Hellblade 2. One is a game, the other is a scripted tech demo that can be beaten by holding pressed forward.
Hats off for DS2 though, they really set a new visual benchmark.
Re: Sony's Helldivers 2 on Xbox Gamble Is Absolutely Paying Off
@Ricky-Spanish assuming 600k estimate is somewhat correct, you can get a certain feeling (as number 1 and 4 combined) about how much you can expect from 2, 3, and 5.
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Essential Games for September 2025?
For those that haven't played it, Psychonauts 2 is one of the best Xbox Studios games and among great 3D platformers in general.
Re: Last Chance to Play These 13 PS5, PS4 Games on PS Plus
EA UFC 5 was a huge disappointment for me when it got added. I expected something new, but it ended up being just a slightly worse previous entry.
Witcher: Wild hunt and Star Wars are a blast, everyone should try that out while they can. Don't really care about the rest..
Re: 12 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for August 2025 Announced
Very good month. I do already own a couple of these, but there are still at least three I wanted to try out and Unicorn Overlord has been in my shopping cart for a while.. PS Plus had a few great months.
Re: Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced (PS5) - Cinematic Spectacle Offers Little Else
I've missed the price earlier.. wow! This 3-4 hours tech demo (probably on the same level of interactivity Witcher 4 demo would be if released publicly) costs more than let's say Expedition 33? What a world we live in..
MS really wants Ninja theory to fail
Re: Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced (PS5) - Cinematic Spectacle Offers Little Else
I'm just glad review score was fair. There were so many 8-9/10 when it first released, I was questioning if I actually downloaded the same "game" from Xbox store.
It truly looks good, but it fundamentally fails at being a video game.
Re: August 2025 PS Plus Essential Games Available to Download Now
@Rich33 I didn't mean anything bad by it
Soulslike are just typically too hard for me, and not exactly my thing as I like my gaming more casual.
Easier difficulty might actually do wonders here, as I'm intrigued by the world they created..
Re: August 2025 PS Plus Essential Games Available to Download Now
I've already downloaded, got angry with, and deleted Lies of P before. But I'll be doing it again, just to check if my emotions still get that high for gaming...
Re: Devil May Cry 5 Sales Spike After TV Show, Even DMC 4 Outsells Monster Hunter Wilds in Q1
Out of all that data, my biggest surprise is how well MH Rise did. It's most successful in the franchise
I love that game (primarily played on Switch) and it's scaled down approach. Very nice to see the world agrees.
Re: Phantom Blade Zero Looks Utterly Outstanding in Over 20 Minutes of PS5 Gameplay
@UltimateOtaku91 4 difficulty options in a soulslike: hard, extra hard, nightmare, hell. Accessible!
Re: Poll: Are You Sold on Ghost of Yotei?
Yeah, this will slap. Totally ok with Sucker Punch taking my money.
Re: 10 New PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Announced for July 2025
In a twist I didn't foresee, an excellent month of games. Cyberpunk has become an amazing game, and I'm interested in Banishers, Twisted metals, Tropico 6, Risk of rain 2,.. yeah, good list:)
Re: Some PS Plus Users Can't Download Diablo 4
@Danloaded same thing for me, it was a bit convoluted where I had to install a non default standard version, and a second game choice from a dropdown I don't know what the choices within it actually are.
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for July 2025 Announced
I'll give Diablo 4 another try. I did play it when it originally hit GP and wasn't really fond of it. Over the years Diablo has just grown old on me.
But, I'm looking forward to King of Fighters (Jusant is another game that didn't stay installed for long on my machine).
Re: SEGA's Accidentally Outed Sales Numbers Put a Lot into Context
Kind of always expected Like a Dragon series and Atlus titles could not have been as mainstream appealing as media made it out to be. Honestly, I can have fun with Like a Dragon game, but will almost always (except maybe Judgment subseries) wait for it to appear on a subscription. Atlus games I just don't understand the buzz of (and I see myself as an average consumer).
Re: The Next Xbox Is a PC, So What Does That Mean for PS6?
I might be the only one, but I really hope we don't move the way of branded PC boxes. Years ago I've stopped being a PC gamer due to all the issues and friction between me as a consumer and an operating game, and I don't wanna go back. Console experience is what has held me in the gaming market for this long (basically 30 years).
Re: This Death Stranding Story Recap Is Essential Viewing Before PS5 Sequel
I love how I played first few hours of the first game, can watch this trailer and understand absolutely nothing. Nothing has been spoiled for me, because I didn't get anything.
Not sure if beautiful or just bizarre..
Re: Final Fantasy 16 May Have Underperformed on PS5, But It's Doing Terribly on Xbox
Khm, if you train your user base not to buy games (GP), they totally unexpectedly won't buy games! And will only play what they are provided through subscription service. Amazing how that works.