Comments 1,132

Re: Want a Three Minute Slot During The Game Awards? That'll Be $1 Million, Please

Darylb88

It sounds like a lot, but for 3 mins in a prime time slot with millions of eyes on the reveals (including casuals), it is a good business move for the larger AA/AAA budget games.

Also, Sandfall/Kepler should be getting tickets for all the staff who worked on the game, not just the 32 (plus dog) core staff everyone bangs on about. They are far from an indie studio.

Re: Mystery Game Awards Reveal Is a New Divinity RPG, as Riddle Is Finally Solved

Darylb88

I have a sneaky feeling that this show could be one of the weaker ones. I don't really expect exciting, in-demand new IPs, or a new console reveal/GTA 6 trailer.

What I do expect is some updated launch dates for Dawnwalker, Lego Batman and that new Star Wars tactics game (first half of 2026) and more on Pragmata too.

We won't get much from Sony, as they won't be ready to share launch dates beyond Saros yet, and Xbox will likely show off its 2026 games at its own developer direct showcase in January.

Re: $100 Off PS5 Consoles, PSVR2 for Black Friday 2025

Darylb88

Normally, the PS Digital price is £330-£340. I do wonder where the £294 price tag has come from - I suspect a speculative US to GBP conversion price from the site. It could also be the new 825 GB variant, which would come in at a lower price.

Re: Leaked Cross-Buy Icon on PS5 Hints at Mysterious Pro-Consumer Move from Sony

Darylb88

I think Sony, like MS, know that PC is the future and creating a PS PC platform for PlayStation users allows them to bring across their library and ensure their software sells well as hardware sales continue to shrink.

At this stage of the gen PS5 in theory should have eaten up the -20 million consoles that Xbox hasn't sold, but they are stuck on the same 80 million approx (as PS4) and not the 100 million they should be at for Xbox doing poorly. That 20 million consoles is effectively a shrinkage of the console market and Sony knows it will only grow with Switch 2, further squeezing a shrinking piece of the pie.

Also, Sony, please make cloud saves free like Xbox rather than charging a subscription for it, please.

Re: Single Player Games Aren't Dead, 'They Just Have to Be Good', Says Larian Studios CEO

Darylb88

Sadly, the game doesn't need to be good; it must fit a set definition of mass-market "good." If you follow the formula you may find success.

They fall into some core categories:

The Casual Gamer:

AAA Sports games - FC25, NBA 2K25

Large Franchises - Harry Potter, Spiderman

PlayStation "Filmic" games - God of War, The Last of US, Death Stranding

The Nerds:

Historical and Fantasy games - Witcher 3, KCD 2, Dragons Dogma, Warhammer, BG3 (D&D)

JRPGs - Persona, Xenoblade, Like a Dragon

The Hardcore Gamer:

Souls Like Games - Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Wukong

The Family Gamer:

Nintendo games - Mario, Zelda, Pokémon

Everyone:

Rockstar games - Any

Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows Length Between 40 and 80 Hours, New Game+ Under Consideration

Darylb88

A reasonable length for those who like the more recent AC games and like to get stuck into open worlds. It often depends on the game and how you click with it. For Persona 5 Royal or Starfield I could still play after 200 hours. For Dragons Dogma 2 and Dragon Age the Veilgaurd around 75 hours was about right. For something like Avowed 50 hours was enough and for Final Fantasy 16 I was glad to be done after 32 hours.

Re: Assassin's Creed Shadows PS5 Trophies Will Test Your Shinobi, Samurai Skills

Darylb88

I'm looking forward to this game. With Ubisoft games I know exactly what I'm getting. No nasty suprises.

You typically get great performance and optimisation on console, average writing, lots of fetch quests, tasks to complete, enemy zones to clear and a new tech feature (such a lighting or reactive materials for Shadows). I find the gameplay loop rather addictive and based on the sales of other AC games I'm not the only one. Valhalla was a bit too long though. This one is tracking very well on pre orders and won't be the flop naysayers online are hoping for. It's the 2nd most pre ordered AC game ever behind Valhalla now.

Re: PS Plus Essential Games for March 2025 Announced

Darylb88

For anyone wondering Veilgaurd sold around 1 million units as of Jan 2025. It's not awful but given the amount spent of the game they are clearly looking at other revenue sources. I got the game and I enjoyed it. The writing isn't the best but the world and combat are actually pretty fun. I hope being on this services allows people to at least give the game a try despite some outward appearances.

Re: Ubisoft 'Confident' Assassin's Creed Shadows' Imminent March Release Date Will Stick

Darylb88

Tbh I am pretty certain that the game will launch now on March 20th as it's about a month out and this really would the the latest they could pull a last min delay. The Insider gaming story is a bit of a nothing burger tbh because they probably spoke to some random dev as opposed to a studio head or management team that decide.

I have pre ordered the game (to get the free DLC) and I am looking forward to it. I know what to expect from Ubisoft games. Its like eating junk food for me. It's not good all the time but I enjoy it now and again.