I took so much flak for loving Witcher 3 when it came out. It was the first time I was ever called a shill for liking a game and defending it online. Huh, weird that it ended up being recognized as one of the best games ever made.

Regardless of GOTY candidacy, I know that I am going to enjoy this game. The artwork, the setting, the choices. I look forward to this more than any other game this year (never been a GTA fan). I also trust that since this team broke from CDPR it will be released in a good technical state that will eventually turn into a great technical state.

Refocusing, huh? Don't you have focus before refocusing? Since their games are hot buggy messes, seems like they really missed that first step in the process of refocusing.

We have seen this before and are seeing it again. What we thought was art combined with storytelling is laid bare to reveal what it really is: another avenue for investors to profit from an industry into which they themselves put very little (if any) of the work and creativity. It is another sacrifice to the god of capitalism that has been perverted into further wealth consolidation leading to bigger gaps in social inequality.

Seems like there is a seismic economic collapse in the near future for all of us.

Wow. That's painful to wake up to. Hopefully this leads to better games for these studios now that they're no longer tied to M$.

Halo has always been pretty meh for me. Generic weapons, generic hero, sloppy vehicles, lots of idiotic jumping. MS can keep their 25 year old relic.

Def intrigued by the single player mode since my internet connection isn't capable of online gaming. It's my fault because I refuse to use Starlink.

Indie devs and hardware less focused on graphics are where we go, IMO.

Do you think these studios could transition to be independent and raise enough on Kickstarter (or w/e) to continue their work? At least in that way, they wouldn't be beholden to these mega corps. Maybe it could lead to more creative freedom.

After playing Starfield on PS5, I have no tolerance for Bethesda releasing games in such a bad state. BGS has lost my trust. They can hype up their future polished turds as much as they want, but I've been burned enough. I would say ES6 could be a good redemption story, but their history of awful, janky, crash-ridden releases has taught them that they lack accountability, of which I share in the blame for buying Starfield.

It will definitely follow a similar timeline. They'd be fools not to. Both are doomed from the start with those inflated prices though. You'll have your hardcores and rich kids buying them. You'll also have others buying them who put themselves in a bad position. Most people will be unlikely to pay prices like that. Not to mention the price of individual games is only going up. Hard pass for me.

Hard pass! I'll actually go outside instead. SSSSSS!!!!

I'm very excited for this one. The Ascent was phenomenal. I think they nailed the Cyberpunk vibe much better than CDPR. Twin stick shooters are always a joy too!

So, they made money, just not enough money because they're greedy f*cks. Got it!

Yeah, okay... This is coming from Satan. I think I know my greed...

Huh, I didn't really know what to think of this except that, living in the US, it is my wet dream that this is one of the dumbest things my government would do to children. Instead, we have found a variety of more sinister and inhumane ways to treat our children and vulnerable communities.

For real, though, this is a tough one. Good luck with it.

@Ninerguy1608 😆

@helloim_anthony Yes, that's also happening. They're both true. Also, who do you think is developing the AI? The same billionaires.

Simply from an environmental perspective, I am strongly against AI due the resources required for the computing. Using AI to assist medicine seems like a good use of the technology. I'm sure there are other uses that promote human well-being, but it should be used sparingly considering the fragile state of the environment. We're currently trashing the planet.

Honestly, WTF? This game has been all over the place since launch. At this point, I'm unsure if it's a reflection of continued support or a complete lack of direction and poor execution from the beginning that requires continued support to stay afloat.

@Slideaway1983 😆

I mean, I kind of get it. We all have weird sh*t that were into. In the words of Mick Jagger, though, "You can't always get what you want."

I'm glad people are enjoying this game and wish PA continued success. I still need to play the Horizon games before I even consider picking up CD.

Obsidian marketing team, "No, no, no. You're just not getting it. After you pay for it, then it's free. See!!!"

This one is still the hardest pass of the year for me. I don't need more jank in my life.

Actually, I'm pretty sure the day one patch only unlocks Bond's full potential as a serial womanizer.

@cuttlefishjones I haven't played the beta because I'm unwilling to pay for, well, a beta. Anyway, combat sounds clunky. That said, aren't combatants supposed to neutralize cover? One way of doing that is running behind it, right?

Yes! I really need this. I've always wanted to see my confirmation bias blasted on the big screen to an entire audience! My dream is finally becoming your reality!!

Aren't there are only a few successful live service games anyway? This year has been packed with bangers. At the very least, this was unlucky timing.

Oh my! Not what I expected on the top. I'm obviously not in the target audience. However, Arc Raiders is very fun (provided you have a Internet connection, which I don't...).

@twitchtvpat Oh, really? Thanks for the heads up.

@Yor-sama I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't buy a PS5 to play games I've already played years and years and years ago

@twitchtvpat It'd be great to see new IPs instead.

Yes! More remakes!!! 🤦

@HotGoomba 😆

Unfortunately, most games do launch in an incomplete state these days... CD seemed to be in a more refined state than most, but I'm unsure how anyone could ever argue it was complete. The devs aren't stupid and likely predicted much of what the community has been requesting. It makes far more sense to argue for the devs intelligence and predictions of what gamers would want precisely because it was incomplete at launch, but they needed to release it anyway. I'd rather see a dev release an incomplete game, continue refining it, and stay in business than potentially be ruined by one project. We're all intelligent enough people, at least re gaming, that we can choose to deal with the state in which many modern releases hit the market.

AI is primarily benefiting corporations and people that are already filthy rich. Studios may be able to leverage AI to eliminate positions held by people and increase earning. However, the few Sam Altmans of the world are the ones truly profiting.

Disregarding money entirely, AI is a highly dehumanizing force.

I quit buying physical games the second time I sold a physical copy only to buy it again down the road. I understand the desire to collect physical copies, but it doesn't appeal to me. I move so often that having to move more physical objects is a hassle. Plus, I don't like having to find storage for anything. If I haven't used something within the past year, it's getting donated, sold, or given away to friends. The only objects are I care about are my TV, console, guitar, motorcycle, mattress, and a few books.

@Rhaoulos This is spot on. I assume the price increase on PS5 consoles is serving two purposes: 1) It is legitimately more expensive to produce the PS5 console with AI gobbling up so much hardware and 2) It provides real-time data about what consumers are willing to pay for consoles.

Although this year has been great, the overall PS5 generation has been a disappointment driven by remasters of games I don't want to replay. Of course there are outliers, but I expect this trend to continue and am not interested in playing a library of remastered titles on new hardware. PS6 is looking like a generation I'll skip.

Done with BGS after this one. This technical garbage is not worth the money or the time.

@McDosy You should use whatever metric works for you. Resogun, Nex Machina, Returnal are some of my favorite games. I can pick them up and put them down in less than an hour and still enjoy them each time I return to them. Same with Saros. It's a return to deep arcade gaming, and I really enjoy it but recognize it's not for everyone. For me it's freeing not to be so deeply invested into a game that it's consuming. For this reason alone, I am regaining time for other pursuits (even if that is just playing a different game).

Everyone's preferences differ, and that's okay. I would argue that we can find objectivity with anything subjective. We'll see how this one turns out. I, for one, am excited to explore this world. It seems dark, places the player in a morally gray space, and the player's actions have consequences. Yes, please!

If they remain faithful to at least some of the descriptions of the castle in Stokers' original, then I'll buy it just for that. Dracula is one of my favorite pieces of literature, and I would love to see this team's interpretation and representation of a book I love!

Can I piss in each bottle and have a share of the profits? I promise not to eat asparagus beforehand.

This game was so fun! Psyched about a sequel. I spent way too much time playing this.

@MrPeanutbutterz That's sad to hear about your friend. Sorry my country is filled with f*ckwads.

The last time I was in Ireland, someone said, "Well yeah, it sucks, but sometimes you gotta take on the chin." I can't remember what situation he was referring to, but it stuck with me. Your country has been through much harder times than ours, and to hear someone say, "Yeah, just gotta take it on the chin", has made me consider difficult times over here differently.

For those saying the price point of Saros is affecting sales when compared to the price point of Returnal upon their respective releases, they were both the same price (at least in the US). I think the more likely culprit for any "poor" sales is due to what some other have already said: people are being more selective right now with their resources.

I mean, the US, at the very least, is in a state of complete uncertainty and utter horsesh*t right now due in no small part due to the Tang Gobsh*te Cheeto Fingered Menace.

Imagine getting to the end of your life and having to come to terms that your only meaningful contribution to society was being a talking head on YouTube. Then, imagine getting to the end of your life and coming to terms with the fact that most of your decisions were made by a taking head on YouTube. I'm not sure which one is more depressing. Let me know in the comments below. 😜

I was playing last night tracking down some resources to do research. The game froze on me twice in five minutes so I played Saros instead and started having fun again. If I could play the godd*mn game without it freezing, I'm sure I would enjoy it. As it stands, I'm not giving it more of my time until, or if, they address this. I'm also going to skip future BGS games. The game does indeed suck on at least a technical level.

This game us so much fun! I love the inclusion of balancing gameplay. It makes it so much more accessible. The story telling is interesting too.

I'm very happy to see another live service game eat sh*t. PlayStation is strong with single player games, and Ubisoft is, well... Ubisoft.