Please avoid Truck Driver: The American Dream at all costs. It is terrible. It has no business been over £20. The £50 and even £39 price tags should be criminal.
I am currently juggling P3R, Like a Dragon IW and FF7 Remake this month.
If all goes well I will be free for the launch of FF7 rebirth and I can add Rise of the Ronin and Unicorn Overlord to my plate. I will also be dipping in and out of Taxi Life (I sometimes hate having such a broad taste in games as it's expensive in time and money).
All eyes have been on Sony vs Microsoft but Nintendo is the one Sony should really be worrying about.
Right now they are seen as a companion handheld lower powered console device.
Soon they could be seen as a more powerful hybrid device that call run all of the 3P AAA games on top of their hugely successful 1P games. The new Zelda game shipped 20 million units in 7 months.
Sony need to focus on software because apart from the new God of War game the software has not been tracking as well as last gen. I'd say the quality has already been lower vs the PS4 gen.
I'm about halfway through the story and it's between 9.5-10. It is maybe a little too big but there are some great QoL features which really improve upon the last game which ended up at 10/10.
@get2sammyb I'm apprehensive about the difficulty level. I would be curious to see if there are difficulty levels because they have made it sound like it will be a pretty challenging experience which I might struggle with which is disappointing.
Edit looks like IGN Japan confirmed difficulty options which is a relief! but looking forward to the combat article as I still like a bit of a challenge.
I may watch this as I am pretty new to Final Fantasy. I have only ever played FF16 (wasn't super impressed) and I am on chapter 3 of FF7 Remake (More impressive). I'm sure most viewers have already played part one of the game.
I am curious how the marketing will balance new vs existing players.
As someone who has always owned all 3 consoles as an adult and never been into console wars, this is great news. It's great news for players and it's great news for Microsoft's bank account. Hardcore Xbox fans won't like it but MS are the best at finding where the Billions/Trillions of dollars are. Even though they might not yet be ready to fully leave the home console route going down the publishing route long term is a very smart move. You can publish digital and cloud games but you can't publish consoles.
One thing that is known is that they are looking at DLC, so they really could be moving the SEGA way of not doing who game launches and moving to post launch content. An insider did say they want to go down the RGG Lost Judgment post content DLC route. I personally hope they can make P4G in unreal engine 4 to out in in line with P3R. That would be great.
Also the other point missed is that a new version of Reload will be lapped up because honestly the quality of content per $/£ is very high and Altus has a huge loyal fanbase. I know for fact I'd be buying that Royal edition day one and I am not going to try and act cool and pretend otherwise.
Pretty impressive for Reload to get to no2 considering it's meant to be more of a niche title. No surprise that Suicide Squad is at no1 given the huge amount of marketing Sony has put into the game. I have seen advertisements for this game everywhere. The the DC appeal for casuals is something to factor in. Doubt it will be no1 when FF7 Rebirth comes out though.
The demo would be very handy for me. I think the best thing for me to do though is to fully play FF7 Intergrade and see how I like it. I must say Intergrade already feels so much better to play than FF16. The Demo was actually the best part of FF16 and I sorely regret buying it day 1.
I have just played the first 3 hours of FF7 Remake on PS plus and I am very impressed. Already it feels significantly more enjoyable than when I played FF16. I may yet get rebirth. It will certainly be a busy month as I am already juggling Like a Dragon IW and P3R which are time sinks!
I'm playing it for the first time and I am enjoying it a lot. I am bouncing between this and Like a Dragon at a steady pace and have until later on in March (Rise of The Ronin) to complete both by. I am planning FF7 Intergrade and Rebirth later in the year during the quiet summer months.
The QoL features to put it closer in line with P5R while adding some new things with UE4 is great. I also noticed they kept some very intentional PS2 design choices for the interiors and lighting. Apparently some of new new tech tried out on this project will be carried over to P6 which is encouraging (Also why development is taking longer than expected). So far it's tracking at a 9/10. It's clearly a lower budget effort vs other big SEGA titles but it still is enjoyable to play. It's also great to see lots of other new players having a go on Gamepass too.
I'm too busy with other games but this looks decent. The demo reminded me a little bit of Tales of Arise in its world design and structure plus AAA budget polish. I might pick this up on sale.
Overall pretty good, a little disappointed with the lack of depth to the Rise of The Ronin "deep dive" though. I felt like I did not really learn anything new. It would have been nice to get confirmation of the adaptive difficulty styles and a bit more on how the story is dynamic. I am even unsure if this has an English dub.
Stellar Blade was a very nice surprise and gave some good depth to what the game was about - I think I'm going to pre order this first and wait for more info/reviews on Rise of the Ronin.
There goes Altus the business being a business again. If you don't want it, vote with your wallet. As a first time player I'll want it so I will be getting it (Hoping it won't just be locked to hard mode this time around).
Looking forward to the Rise of The Ronin showing.. and for those worried about Souls Like, no need it has already been confirmed that it will have difficulty options and layers of combat depending on your playstyle.
Going to play it on Gamepass for the first time, and if I like it I will buy it. I loved P5R and P4G so I'm sure I will enjoy this one too with all the modern additions. I know a lot of people joke about them releasing a Royal editions but I don't think they will be returning to this due to the limited resources and the big development push for P6.
@phoenix1 Yeah they offer post launch DLC purchases for every RGG and Altus game that has launched since SEGA has been the publisher. It will work out slightly more expensive to buy it all at launch but I plan on just buying the more expensive Master vacation bundle first and the rest on sale later on.
Like Dead Island 2 RoboCop was very much a 20/25 hour one and done kind of situation. Solid 7/10 games I somewhat enjoyed but I won't ever go back to because of the constant steam of high quality games coming out in 2024.
If you are a RoboCop fan and can get the game for around £25/$30 then it is worth the time and the money.
@OtsutsukiBoruto Why would you punish the developer (RGG) for a choice the publisher (SEGA) made? It makes no sense at all. SEGA are the ones that decide the dodgy DLC practices for their published games. RGG made another great game.
PlayStation have pushed marketing for this game hard (Ads plastered all across the London underground and bus stops) so I can imagine it will sell reasonably well and some free post launch updates won't harm sales.
I don't think it will be as bad as the hardcore gaming community are proclaiming but it's something I will pick up on a deep discount to play in a quiet month.
I ordered to standard edition (due to ordering several games for early 2024) but I will be buying the specific DLC's I want at launch including the master vacation bundle.
It would have been better to have the NG+ pulled away from the DLC and hopefully there is some kind of "translation error" or it can be fixed so that standard edition purchases can play NG+. SEGA like all business like to make money (no surprise there). SEGA know that the extremely small pool of PS gamers on this site are not representative of the hundreds of thousands plus that will happily be getting the most expensive edition and won't even know this issue exists and base game players are less likely to do a NG+.
RGG offers extreme gameplay value per hour already so I am less fussed than if it was a less established studio that I don't trust on quality. Like everyone else I decide how to spend my own money and won't be talked down to.
I have no issue with one of the worlds best developers selling optional (the keyword) DLC. You can also play the game on Gamepass for significantly less.
Good article for engagement though I'll give you that OP.
Playing it now and it is a lot of fun! I can see why it reviewed well overall. It is something which can be completed in 25 hours which is very decent. This is the perfect pallet cleanser for Like a Dragon next week/P3R week after. Well worth the purchase.
For those who will be going to CEX, I'm sorry but they will now own the market and will 100% drop the price they will pay you for something in March 2024 vs today. The prices offered are already terrible.
They will offer you £96 or £148 voucher for a boxed digital PS5. And that will only go down. At least game has a more reasonable £175 voucher offer - Was £215 pre slim launch.
CEX also don't offer PSN vouchers to buy which is pretty rubbish.
There is nothing gamers hate more than a live service game trying to also be a single player game. Just go all in on offline single player or online multiplayer.
Or if you are smart like R* have 2 clearly defined modes so you get 100% of something rather than 50% of nothing.
I really hope WB take that approach for the next Hogwarts Legacy game. They have R* kind of money and budget to do that now.
@Thrussted Nacon do has also released some pretty solid games too like Robocop: Rouge City, Transport Fever, Train Life, Steelrising, WRC Generations, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, The Sinking City, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter in more recent times. They also have TDU solar crown and Taxi Life coming up and generally do well in the AA space.
Comments 1,077
Re: More Than 2,000 New PS5, PS4 Deals Dropped Tantalisingly onto PS Store
Please avoid Truck Driver: The American Dream at all costs. It is terrible. It has no business been over £20. The £50 and even £39 price tags should be criminal.
Re: Preview: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Feels Like a Strong Step Forward from Remake
I am currently juggling P3R, Like a Dragon IW and FF7 Remake this month.
If all goes well I will be free for the launch of FF7 rebirth and I can add Rise of the Ronin and Unicorn Overlord to my plate. I will also be dipping in and out of Taxi Life (I sometimes hate having such a broad taste in games as it's expensive in time and money).
Re: PS5, PS4 First-Party Devs Won't Get Complacent Even if Competition Degrades
All eyes have been on Sony vs Microsoft but Nintendo is the one Sony should really be worrying about.
Right now they are seen as a companion handheld lower powered console device.
Soon they could be seen as a more powerful hybrid device that call run all of the 3P AAA games on top of their hugely successful 1P games. The new Zelda game shipped 20 million units in 7 months.
Sony need to focus on software because apart from the new God of War game the software has not been tracking as well as last gen. I'd say the quality has already been lower vs the PS4 gen.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's PS5 Demo Accidentally Outed by Sony
Do you need to have completed FF7 Remake Part 1 to play this demo? I am curious to try it out but still working through the first game.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth?
I'm about halfway through the story and it's between 9.5-10. It is maybe a little too big but there are some great QoL features which really improve upon the last game which ended up at 10/10.
Re: Stellar Blade's Japanese Dub Won't Be Available Worldwide, But Korean Will Be
English VO's gave me FF16 vibes. I was expecting Eve to shout out "Clive" at any moment.
Re: Stellar Blade's Protagonist's Body Is Based on This Real-World Korean Model
@get2sammyb I'm apprehensive about the difficulty level. I would be curious to see if there are difficulty levels because they have made it sound like it will be a pretty challenging experience which I might struggle with which is disappointing.
Edit looks like IGN Japan confirmed difficulty options which is a relief! but looking forward to the combat article as I still like a bit of a challenge.
Re: When Is the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth State of Play?
I may watch this as I am pretty new to Final Fantasy. I have only ever played FF16 (wasn't super impressed) and I am on chapter 3 of FF7 Remake (More impressive). I'm sure most viewers have already played part one of the game.
I am curious how the marketing will balance new vs existing players.
Re: Rumour: Xbox's Indiana Jones Game Also Being 'Considered' for PS5
I feel sorry for those who see this as a problem or will feel bad about it. MS didn't get so rich leaving so much money on the table.
Re: Rumour: Xbox Console Exclusive Starfield Is Setting a Course for PS5
@IAmAshCohen17 SEGA are doing great now and consoles won't be around for ever.
Re: Rumour: Xbox Console Exclusive Starfield Is Setting a Course for PS5
As someone who has always owned all 3 consoles as an adult and never been into console wars, this is great news. It's great news for players and it's great news for Microsoft's bank account. Hardcore Xbox fans won't like it but MS are the best at finding where the Billions/Trillions of dollars are. Even though they might not yet be ready to fully leave the home console route going down the publishing route long term is a very smart move. You can publish digital and cloud games but you can't publish consoles.
Re: No Expanded Royal or Golden Edition for Persona 3 Reload, Atlus Promises
One thing that is known is that they are looking at DLC, so they really could be moving the SEGA way of not doing who game launches and moving to post launch content. An insider did say they want to go down the RGG Lost Judgment post content DLC route. I personally hope they can make P4G in unreal engine 4 to out in in line with P3R. That would be great.
Also the other point missed is that a new version of Reload will be lapped up because honestly the quality of content per $/£ is very high and Altus has a huge loyal fanbase. I know for fact I'd be buying that Royal edition day one and I am not going to try and act cool and pretend otherwise.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Suicide Squad Swings Past Persona 3 Reload for Number One Debut
Pretty impressive for Reload to get to no2 considering it's meant to be more of a niche title. No surprise that Suicide Squad is at no1 given the huge amount of marketing Sony has put into the game. I have seen advertisements for this game everywhere. The the DC appeal for casuals is something to factor in. Doubt it will be no1 when FF7 Rebirth comes out though.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 514
Persona 3 Reload and Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. I might dip into FF7 Remake too as it would like to complete it ahead of the launch of Rebirth.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5 Demo All But Confirmed for Next Week
The demo would be very handy for me. I think the best thing for me to do though is to fully play FF7 Intergrade and see how I like it. I must say Intergrade already feels so much better to play than FF16. The Demo was actually the best part of FF16 and I sorely regret buying it day 1.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Demands Nearly 150GB of PS5 Storage Space
I have just played the first 3 hours of FF7 Remake on PS plus and I am very impressed. Already it feels significantly more enjoyable than when I played FF16. I may yet get rebirth. It will certainly be a busy month as I am already juggling Like a Dragon IW and P3R which are time sinks!
Re: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Named Series' Fastest-Selling Game, Already at One Million Units
I have gotten to chapter 5 and really enjoying the game so far!
Re: Persona 3 Reload: Exam Answers - All School and Test Questions Answered
One of the first to get the full set up! others like IGN and Polygon still updating as of this post!
Re: Persona 3 Reload: Changes - All Differences Compared to Persona 3
Very useful article thanks!
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Persona 3 Reload?
I'm playing it for the first time and I am enjoying it a lot. I am bouncing between this and Like a Dragon at a steady pace and have until later on in March (Rise of The Ronin) to complete both by. I am planning FF7 Intergrade and Rebirth later in the year during the quiet summer months.
The QoL features to put it closer in line with P5R while adding some new things with UE4 is great. I also noticed they kept some very intentional PS2 design choices for the interiors and lighting. Apparently some of new new tech tried out on this project will be carried over to P6 which is encouraging (Also why development is taking longer than expected). So far it's tracking at a 9/10. It's clearly a lower budget effort vs other big SEGA titles but it still is enjoyable to play. It's also great to see lots of other new players having a go on Gamepass too.
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Granblue Fantasy: Relink?
I'm too busy with other games but this looks decent. The demo reminded me a little bit of Tales of Arise in its world design and structure plus AAA budget polish. I might pick this up on sale.
Re: PS5 Exclusive Stellar Blade Dated for 26th April on PS5
I was more excited for Rise of The Ronin before but I think this has moved ahead due to the great showing and sheer lack of info for RoTR.
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate the Latest State of Play Showcase?
Overall pretty good, a little disappointed with the lack of depth to the Rise of The Ronin "deep dive" though. I felt like I did not really learn anything new. It would have been nice to get confirmation of the adaptive difficulty styles and a bit more on how the story is dynamic. I am even unsure if this has an English dub.
Stellar Blade was a very nice surprise and gave some good depth to what the game was about - I think I'm going to pre order this first and wait for more info/reviews on Rise of the Ronin.
Re: Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2 Gameplay Revealed, Out on PS5 in the 'Coming Months'
To be honest this looks meh.
Re: Rumour: Persona 3 Reload Lines Up The Answer as DLC
There goes Altus the business being a business again. If you don't want it, vote with your wallet. As a first time player I'll want it so I will be getting it (Hoping it won't just be locked to hard mode this time around).
Re: Talking Point: What Can We Expect in the Next State of Play Show?
Looking forward to the Rise of The Ronin showing.. and for those worried about Souls Like, no need it has already been confirmed that it will have difficulty options and layers of combat depending on your playstyle.
https://gameranx.com/updates/id/485674/article/rise-of-the-ronin-to-have-three-difficulty-modes/
Re: Persona 3 Reload (PS5) - A Stunning Remake of a Classic RPG, Polished to Near Perfection
Going to play it on Gamepass for the first time, and if I like it I will buy it. I loved P5R and P4G so I'm sure I will enjoy this one too with all the modern additions. I know a lot of people joke about them releasing a Royal editions but I don't think they will be returning to this due to the limited resources and the big development push for P6.
Re: Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown Will Reportedly Launch Before End of March on PS5
From what I have seen so far It looks like a departure from the first 2 games and not in a good way.. This will stay on my maybe list for now.
Re: Persona 3 Reload Really Is a Gorgeous Remake in First 50 Mins of Uncut Gameplay
Looking great, I'm looking forward to playing this next week.
Re: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Removes New Game +, Puts It Behind a DLC Paywall
@phoenix1 Yeah they offer post launch DLC purchases for every RGG and Altus game that has launched since SEGA has been the publisher. It will work out slightly more expensive to buy it all at launch but I plan on just buying the more expensive Master vacation bundle first and the rest on sale later on.
Re: Big RoboCop: Rogue City Patch Adds New Game +, New Difficulty Option, and More
Like Dead Island 2 RoboCop was very much a 20/25 hour one and done kind of situation. Solid 7/10 games I somewhat enjoyed but I won't ever go back to because of the constant steam of high quality games coming out in 2024.
If you are a RoboCop fan and can get the game for around £25/$30 then it is worth the time and the money.
Re: Hogwarts Legacy Beats Modern Warfare 3, Spider-Man 2 as Most Downloaded PS5 Game of 2023
HL must be getting close to that 25mil mark now. Sold way more than expected.
Re: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5) - The Best Yakuza Game Ever Made
@OtsutsukiBoruto Why would you punish the developer (RGG) for a choice the publisher (SEGA) made? It makes no sense at all. SEGA are the ones that decide the dodgy DLC practices for their published games. RGG made another great game.
Re: British Army's Fortnite Recruitment Campaign Retreats in the Face of Gamer Backlash
I honestly would never guessed that Fortnite players would be the type of young people that would want to join the Army.
Re: UK Sales Charts: The Last of Us 2 Remastered Beats Prince of Persia to the Podium
That is depressing. Shame PoP didn't debut higher as a brand new game. HL still selling tons like last year.
Re: Suicide Squad Episodes, Characters, and Locations Coming After Launch
PlayStation have pushed marketing for this game hard (Ads plastered all across the London underground and bus stops) so I can imagine it will sell reasonably well and some free post launch updates won't harm sales.
I don't think it will be as bad as the hardcore gaming community are proclaiming but it's something I will pick up on a deep discount to play in a quiet month.
Re: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Removes New Game +, Puts It Behind a DLC Paywall
I ordered to standard edition (due to ordering several games for early 2024) but I will be buying the specific DLC's I want at launch including the master vacation bundle.
It would have been better to have the NG+ pulled away from the DLC and hopefully there is some kind of "translation error" or it can be fixed so that standard edition purchases can play NG+. SEGA like all business like to make money (no surprise there). SEGA know that the extremely small pool of PS gamers on this site are not representative of the hundreds of thousands plus that will happily be getting the most expensive edition and won't even know this issue exists and base game players are less likely to do a NG+.
RGG offers extreme gameplay value per hour already so I am less fussed than if it was a less established studio that I don't trust on quality. Like everyone else I decide how to spend my own money and won't be talked down to.
Re: Of Course Full Price Remake Persona 3 Reload Has a Full Spread of Day One DLC
I have no issue with one of the worlds best developers selling optional (the keyword) DLC. You can also play the game on Gamepass for significantly less.
Good article for engagement though I'll give you that OP.
Re: Poll: Are You Playing Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown?
Playing it now and it is a lot of fun! I can see why it reviewed well overall. It is something which can be completed in 25 hours which is very decent. This is the perfect pallet cleanser for Like a Dragon next week/P3R week after. Well worth the purchase.
Re: The Last of Us 2 Remastered Director Doesn't Get Fan 'Consternation' Surrounding Re-Release
Because I want a new game to play Neil, not one that will soon be 4 years old.
Re: UK's GAME Stores to Stop Accepting Trade-Ins from Next Month
For those who will be going to CEX, I'm sorry but they will now own the market and will 100% drop the price they will pay you for something in March 2024 vs today. The prices offered are already terrible.
They will offer you £96 or £148 voucher for a boxed digital PS5. And that will only go down. At least game has a more reasonable £175 voucher offer - Was £215 pre slim launch.
CEX also don't offer PSN vouchers to buy which is pretty rubbish.
Re: Get a Sense for Unicorn Overlord's Exploration in New PS5, PS4 Trailer
If it gets and English dub I will be all over this!
Re: 18 PS5 Predictions for 2024
2024 is the year of JRPG's.
Re: PS Stars Retroactively Rewarding Lost PS5, PS4 Loyalty Points
I had to contact customer support as I had 1050 missing points but they were added on the 9th.
Re: Rocksteady Lifts Suicide Squad Alpha NDA in Apparent Bid to Counter Damning Previews
There is nothing gamers hate more than a live service game trying to also be a single player game. Just go all in on offline single player or online multiplayer.
Or if you are smart like R* have 2 clearly defined modes so you get 100% of something rather than 50% of nothing.
I really hope WB take that approach for the next Hogwarts Legacy game. They have R* kind of money and budget to do that now.
Re: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (PS5) - A Slick, Satisfying, and Royally Robust Metroidvania
Currently an 87 on MC with 37 reviews (PS5) and 90 on Nintendo with 9 reviews.
Re: Waiting for SEGA's New Crazy Taxi? Fill the Time with Taxi Life, Hitting PS5 in March
Day one purchase for me - Simteract's last game was fun and well optimised on current gen.
Re: Latest Banishers PS5 Trailer All About Love, Death, and Sacrifice
Looks like another AA game I'll wait to buy on a 70% off deal.
Re: Granblue Fantasy: Relink Demo Out at Midnight on PS5, PS4
I was waiting for 3pm to come around but I guess It will be tomorrow now. I will try out the Prince of Persia demo out at 5pm instead.
Re: Publishing Exec Claims 'There Are Too Many Games'
@Thrussted Nacon do has also released some pretty solid games too like Robocop: Rouge City, Transport Fever, Train Life, Steelrising, WRC Generations, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, The Sinking City, Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter in more recent times. They also have TDU solar crown and Taxi Life coming up and generally do well in the AA space.