Comments 1,141

Re: Xbox Is Flip-Flopping on PS5 Again, and It's Truly Getting Tiring

Darylb88

@UltimateOtaku91 I think it's fair to call out Push Square if we feel the quality of the article is not up to a reasonable standard, in a constructive way, of course. I have said before, I understand Hookshot have bills to pay via ad revenue, but the approach of Push Square seems to have become far more "engagement bait" than Nintendo Life or Pure Xbox. I don't know if that's a Sammy-specific thing (honestly, Pure Xbox need the engagement more if anything).

It could be symptomatic of Sony being extremely dry with PR over the last 6-7 years, which, of course, is not great for a news site focused on PlayStation.

For a long time, a reader of all the sites, the change over the last 2-3 years has been a little jarring.

Re: PS5 Fans Want Trophy Upgrades After Xbox Improves Achievements

Darylb88

I am sure Sony is investing their UI overhaul/trophies and other areas for the PS6, which is the best move.

It makes sense for Xbox to evolve the UI as it will be going across console, PC and cloud. Sony just needs to do one UI for console, and they might as well save that surprise for PS6 to give players that "next gen" feel.

Re: PS5 Price Hike Hits Japan Hard as PS5 Pro Sales Sink to Xbox Levels

Darylb88

@LogicStrikesAgain In the UK, a PS5 Disc will be up to £90 more expensive and a disc Xbox Series X and up to £184 more than a Switch 2. The PS5 is meant to be the cheap one, not the significantly more expensive one. Everyone at my workplace (a large UK retailer that has a video game section) was shocked by the dramatic price increases - they usually are like £20-£30, not £90 jumps.

Going from £360 to £390 to £430 was more incremental, but £430 to £520 for an 825GB machine is wild.

We have chosen not to increase the prices yet, as we still have stock brought in at the lower PPU.

Weirdly enough, MS UK actually sent through price cut requests for Series X Disc £500 to £480 and Series S 512GB £300 to £290 so it's made the differences even more stark - Nintendo also cut the Switch 2 from £396 to £386.

Curious if it is a tactic or not.

Re: PS5 Price Hike Hits Japan Hard as PS5 Pro Sales Sink to Xbox Levels

Darylb88

@Swirly Yep, where I work, we are also holding prices on existing stock brought in at the lower per-unit price. Once that stock is exhausted, then we will increase the price to maintain the correct PPU. Looks like Argos, Amazon, and Very are doing the same thing. Typically, games jumped straight on it, which is why they won't exist by the end of the decade due to overpricing and poor customer relations.

Re: Wolverine PS5 Release Date Reveal Sparks Bluepoint Cover-Up Claims

Darylb88

It's not about being "mad". It is about Herman Hulst taking accountability like Jim Ryan did for is many mistakes heading up the game studios at SIE. It is time for him to step aside before more damage is done.

The single-player and even the live service offerings will continue to be mismanaged and decline in quality until he goes. He should have been fired after Concord tbh (not demoted from co-CEO).

Re: PS5's Retro God of War Game Gets the Worst Reviews in the Series

Darylb88

@Oram77 I guess I would see Intergalactic as a much "bigger game" and higher budget game than Saros.

Saros is a nice-to-have game, whereas a game from a tentpole studio like Naughty Dog or Insomniac feels like a must-have at this moment (system sellers).

Nothing against Saros at all, but Wolverine and Intergalactic will cost more to make and probably sell more due to a higher mass market appeal

Re: Yakuza's Makers Have Made Another Unforced Error

Darylb88

Honestly, when the replacement is an upgraded and improved version of the original game, I don't see why I would ever want to play the original, which is objectively worse (less content, an older game engine, worse performance, and no English dub). The new game is also available physically alongside the old game, which has been out for many years now.

Re: PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for January 2026 Leaked

Darylb88

I have played all the games I wanted to from this list, but there are some very solid additions here for players who hold out. PS Plus is definitely better for more casual players who don't buy any games (outside of sports/shooters/ live service) day one.

I have only really used PS+ for cloud saves (which should be free like Xbox) and for cloud streaming when I had a PS portal.

Re: PS6 Could Be Delayed Due to RAM Price Chaos

Darylb88

We are at the point now where what we have has more room for developers to improve performance and upscaling techniques. If you want better performance, you can just grab a PC now rather than waiting until 2027/8. The big thing was getting the SSD and a minimum of 16GB of RAM in the mainline systems, and we have those now.

Re: PS5 Enjoys a Decent November in the UK, Even Excluding Black Friday

Darylb88

2026 with GTA 6 with give November console sales a big uplift over almost any sales year, but the real test for Sony with be years 2-3 for the PS6. The PS5, even with those GTA 6 sales, is expected to sell short of the 120 million PS4s, and Xbox is expected to fall way short of the 60 million Xbox Ones sold.

This is indicative of the general shrinking of the console market, and this can be expected to continue into the next generation with Xbox seeing the figures and moving over to PC.

The PS6 will sell less than the PS5, and if there is a PS7, it will sell less than the PS6. The Switch 2 will also probably sell less than the OG Switch. Let's enjoy console gaming while it is here.

Also, did I accidentally stumble onto Twitter? I thought this was a gaming website, not a politics forum.

Re: Western Sales Have Saved the Trails Series, Falcom Boss Suggests

Darylb88

Japan has been ahead of the curve in many ways for decades, and consumer habits around gaming are showing what the Western gaming industry can expect in the next 2-5 years:

  • More PC & Cloud gaming
  • More mobile gaming and handhelds
  • Nintendo is overtaking Sony in the console space and taking the reduced share
  • Microsoft is expected to fully move into the PC market within the next 18 months, and Sony will likely follow thereafter, as the PS6 will not have sold as well as expected.

Re: PS5 Wins a Nightmarish November for All Console Hardware in the US

Darylb88

With console prices increasing, hardware costs increasing and spending power reducing, this comes as no surprise.

The home console market is also shrinking, and this will continue as we move into the next decade and push towards portable, cloud and PC gaming.

Without Europe, SIE would be in big trouble as Nintendo are far more competitive in Asia and the Americas and will take the reduced share with a hybrid option.

Re: Talking Point: With Expedition 33 Winning Best Indie Game, What Does 'Indie' Mean to You?

Darylb88

@Ainu20 I would not call it even a role-playing game, and a JRPG is a role game made in Japan. I agree that the turn-based combat inspired Sandfall, as this is something seen a lot in Japanese games.

I think some people get confused between turn-based combat and JRPGs. A JRPG can be an action role-playing game, a turn-based role-playing game, or any other kind of role-playing game made by Japanese developers. Most Japanese devs don't even like the term JRPG and just call it an RPG, as we would for Western RPGS.

Re: Talking Point: With Expedition 33 Winning Best Indie Game, What Does 'Indie' Mean to You?

Darylb88

I would place E33 as an AA game due to:

Large amounts of Funding from 3rd parties (French government grant, Kepler Interactive and Microsoft)

Lead devs who are experienced in AAA games (Ubisoft)

Having a small - medium-sized publisher (Kepler Interactive)

A budget of over $1 million (estimated $10 million) and not self/crowdfunded

A team of over 20 staff (32 plus dog core staff and 300+ external devs)

Having Industry-leading and Hollywood Voice actors (Jen English, Ben Starr, Charlie Cox)

Also, KCD2 is an objectively better RPG because it actually has RPG mechanics. E33 is a turn-based action adventure with gameplay and design elements inspired by Japanese developers with a very French twist. I find it hilarious when I see people call it a JRPG because it has turn-based action combat lol.

Re: Poll: What Are Your Most Anticipated PS5 Games of 2026?

Darylb88

My most anticipated games are:

1. GTA 6 (many people's most anticipated game ever)
2. 007 First Light
3. Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
4. Wolverine
5. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection
6. The Blood of Dawnwalker
7. Pragmata
8. Bus Bound/Road Kings
9. Dragon Quest 7 Reimagined
10. Control Resonant

I am still on the fence about Crimson Desert, depending on the difficulty options. I am interested in DecaPolice, but I am not sure it will even make 2026, knowing Level 5's terrible track record with meeting deadlines.

Other games not on PS5 day 1that I am looking forward to are:
Fable
Forza Horizon 6
Clockwork Revolution
Fire Emblem Fortunes Weave

GTA 6 will quite rightly sweep all the awards and attention next year if it launches in November. The few months before and after will be a total blizzard for GTA 6 news and hype.

I feel sorry for those who don't like GTA games because it will be constant on here and all over gaming sites and social media.