JRPG: The Game - looks pretty and fun enough, but hopefully we get something a bit more distinctive, everything from character designs to skill trees looked a bit generic. Except the cool sci-fi location, there’s promise!
This looks a lot of fun, but I’m seeing a solid 7 or 8/10. Great fun, but nothing too original and could be full of bloat as we’ve heard nothing of the side quests yet I don’t think. Also you’re clearly helping the bad guys here, hope the story isn’t that predictable.
But it does look a lot of old fashioned fun, looking forward to seeing more. And a lock on.
This game was so terrible it’s basically my sleeper agent trigger to turn me into the hulk. It makes me so mad. It’s so so bad.
We couldn’t afford much as a kid, so a game was a rare treat. This was not a treat. It was hell. A hell I cannot escape from, even almost 3 decades later.
The devil has decided to do this. Why does he torment me so?
Excellent month, lots of games I’ve almost bought or bought then traded then missed. Unicorn Overlord is a lot of fun, India’s and Harold Halibut look like great one and done games, others look interesting too.
Hopefully single player is unaffected, and we get more of the exploration of 2 as opposed to to the more linear 3. I LOVED 2, but just really struggled with 3, not sure I even finished it. Still excited to see a new entry!
Looks a bit dull in this clip, but the bioshock hacking minigame was fun, looks like a cross between that and Mass Effect 2 in terms of gameplay.
Hopefully there is more to it though, and it’s not just the same clunky 3 enemy types and a minigame that just needs to be done faster to inflate difficulty. I’d love to see more of the world and story
It may look very much like Little Nightmares, but that only means it looks incredible. Will probably be too scary for me, but I made it through Little Nightmares and Silent Hill 2 in hour bursts, maybe I’ll challenge myself.
I’m a life-long JRPG fan, but this just looks dull. Dull with terrible names. But I’ll wait for more information and reviews, Octopath 2 didn’t look great in its promotion but had a lot more depth than appeared
@Kierant202 it’s not real ;( PlayStation 1995 breaking my heart and enraging my soul almost as hard as 1996 did thrusting Bubsy 3D on little me. I’d pay too dollar for a Lost Odyssey remaster, such a beautiful, sad game
A focused, linear experience like 1 will be great, hopefully it’s a strong story too. The graphics and animations look a bit rougher than they have in other promotion though. Looks like a game that will win hearts over awards possibly.
I was weirdly pretty intrigued by this, imagine a game where you build up a cute village, have wild parties with your hobbit bros and idle away the days frolicking in the knowledge one day it will all end. Could have been great, but sounds like it was lazy, tickbox design
This looks like it could be a lot of fun, a solid AA taking bits and pieces from Uncharted, Dead Space and Alien. Definitely on my radar, but as ever will wait for those reviews.
It’s only a matter of time. And money. And considerable luck. And when I say time, I mean several years of ‘almosts’ until anyone who remembered is just about to retire, then Square Enix will discover the heretofore untapped retiree market. Then they won’t release part 2 until we’re dying. We’ll never finish the trilogy. Anyone younger won’t remember FF9. It’ll kill off Square Enix. The Japanese game market will crash. The global games market will follow. Without gaming to distract us discontent will overflow. The revelation will come. World Peace will follow the inevitable war. But at what price, Square? At what price?
I’ll definitely grab this is a sale, shame no progress carries over. But generally sounds like the base game, a lot of fun with no bells or whistles, jus a robocop, a ridiculous pistol and goons to mow down
@rjejr I was thinking of films like Dragonheart, Robin Hood: Men in Tights (not strictly fantasy-fantasy), and the various 90s fantasy tv shows. But that whole aesthetic of, as you mentioned, 80s and 90s fantasy. Cheap costumes and effects, but a lot of heart and a proper sense of fun and adventure. Something like the recent Dungeons & Dragons film
They all took themselves a little too seriously in the 00’s, or got too saccharine
I still can’t see this coming out as anything other than a cheapo 90s fantasy throwback. So I hope they just lean full tilt into that, give us Zelda: Elves in Tights with a devastating ending like Dragonheart that knocks you to the ground and thunderstomps your pendulums.
Please don’t just give us a ***** 00s Disney princess straight-to-streaming film
@KyushuTrail unless it’s really not, I’d plow some time in.
It’s one of those games that gets better and better the more you play - the gameplay opens up, and the side quests will throw you through the full gamut of emotions (genuinely made me cry at times, and has a fantastically unnerving horror side quest)
A great month, but I’ve already played or own the games I’d want to play from it. But something quality for everyone!
If anything, I wonder if the original games were an influence on Souls games - they share a similar difficulty and atmosphere (I was like 12 when I played Onimusha 2 though, so maybe it’s not difficult).
I just hope we’re not stuck with annoying checkpoints, and a game that puts difficulty front and centre. It all looks and sounds sick though!
Can recommend the phenomenally terribly named ‘HyperX Cloud Alpha’ headset, have a pair myself. Lightweight, comfy and push out good sound. Just try not to think about the name, try really hard.
The base game was just plain fun. I didn’t have particularly terrible frame rate, but it was charmingly clunky (not unlike a certain cyborg). But the action was crunchy, it was surprisingly funny and the story had moments of real heart. I’m hyped for a bit more janky mayhem
I’d love a 2.5D glow up, keep most of it as it was with some modern flourishes, maybe some good voice acting. I t’s such a beautiful story full of wonderful (and some frankly unhinged) characters, where almost everyone has sweeping arcs. Just please don’t make us do 100 rope skips again with terrible delayed timing
@thefourfoldroot1 100% agree, and luckily it is taught in schools. I think it’s a powerful lesson that seems to have been forgotten, with this global rise in the far right and neo-fascism.
But also hard to make a proper conclusion on this specific game without context, maybe it’s the opposite, they didn’t want to offend neo-Nazis. Doubtful though, not sure they’re a key demographic of non-pornographic Japanese VN’s, but we still don’t know enough to make a snap judgement.
ITS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAYAD! But actually sounds sensible, it could cause issues with distribution, even if obviously not pro-Nazi the iconography and theme might conflict with various T&C’s.
Plus ‘Dictator X’ gives it a nice global feel, is it Hitler? Mousellouini? Kim Jong un? Mr T? The Action Man villain who had a great design but not sure what his actual deal was?
Finally, an excellent month for all entries, varied but all games I’d love to play but was wary about investing in - time to start another potentially endless RPG I guess
Very much looking forward to buying and starting this next month, when I’ve got the expendable ££ - it sounds like a fantastic experience, it’s wonderful for a new studio to knock it out the park.
@sorteddan I started that recently too. It’s the thief of time, sleep and general life.
I’m going to try and break free from its grasp and finish off Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and then go back to the other massive time sink in my life, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
They keep releasing these live-action games without really promoting any hook or novelty, besides a nice art style.
What separates this from Concorde, from Suicide Squad, heck, even the online parts of Mass Effect: Andromeda? You run, you gun, you get experience to run and gun better. Maybe there is more to it, but that’s what needs to be pushed.
Not wildly surprised, I’ve not a couple of issues with all these ports to other consoles:
Terrible advertising (if any)
Priced too high for older games
Offer them at £30, treat it like the launch of a new game, address any underlying critiques where you can in a patch.
Shame though, I think 16 is easily the best since 10. It has some astronomically bizarre pacing issues, but when it comes to crunch points it hits incredible heights. I’ve not been so excited playing a game for years at those points. It just follows those up with “QUICK, HERO, BRING US SAND” quests for a couple hours
This was looking dire until the second half - Katamari id love to revisit, original was glorious, madcap Japanese fun. Eiyuden has been on my wishlist for ages, and Endless Dungeon has me intrigued. Train Sim might get a look in, depending how wild I’m feeling
I don’t think anyone’s going into this expecting the greatest action game ever made - but if we get a janky fun takes-itself-seriously-to-unintended-hilarious-heights rollercoaster I’ll be intrigued.
As long as there’s strong RPG elements I’ll be sold, I’d love to be able to explore a big map, make big decisions for my settlement and form or break alliances through different means.
Or just give me a fishing game and the ability to name my villagers and warriors dumb names. Either/or
I’m sure a lot of time and effort has gone into the game, and £70 isn’t therefore unfair to ask, but it won’t sell at that price.
I enjoyed the first game, but it had a weird, clinical feel to it at points, devoid of love, which multiple people I’ve spoken to felt. You can’t sell a full price sequel well when the original was a “I think I liked it?” Bought in a deep sale
The atmosphere and world look fantastic, but apprehensive about the “30 Days and Nights” - not a fan of overall game time limits, especially in open world affairs, but will see how it goes.
Comments 672
Re: Mini Review: Discounty (PS5) - Shop 'Til You Drop in This Addictive Life Sim
But can you romance someone, then when you get bored of them turn your kids into crow’s and wipe your partners memory?
Asking for a friend.
Re: Action JRPG Lost Hellden Could Be One to Watch on PS5 as New Gameplay Is Revealed
JRPG: The Game - looks pretty and fun enough, but hopefully we get something a bit more distinctive, everything from character designs to skill trees looked a bit generic. Except the cool sci-fi location, there’s promise!
Re: Astoundingly Ambitious PS5 RPG Crimson Desert Looks Like It'll Ease the Wait for The Witcher 4
This looks a lot of fun, but I’m seeing a solid 7 or 8/10. Great fun, but nothing too original and could be full of bloat as we’ve heard nothing of the side quests yet I don’t think. Also you’re clearly helping the bad guys here, hope the story isn’t that predictable.
But it does look a lot of old fashioned fun, looking forward to seeing more. And a lock on.
Re: Make Up Your Own Mind About Critically Panned PS1 Platformer Bubsy 3D from 9th September on PS5
This game was so terrible it’s basically my sleeper agent trigger to turn me into the hulk. It makes me so mad. It’s so so bad.
We couldn’t afford much as a kid, so a game was a rare treat. This was not a treat. It was hell. A hell I cannot escape from, even almost 3 decades later.
The devil has decided to do this. Why does he torment me so?
Re: 12 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for August 2025 Announced
Excellent month, lots of games I’ve almost bought or bought then traded then missed. Unicorn Overlord is a lot of fun, India’s and Harold Halibut look like great one and done games, others look interesting too.
Re: Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 Enhanced (PS5) - Cinematic Spectacle Offers Little Else
Sounds almost exactly like the first, I’ll definitely check it out when it inevitably ends up on PS+
Can anyone confirm if there’s still interesting boss battles? The first game has one of my all time favourites
Re: Promise Mascot Agency Adds New Features, Challenges, More in Huge Free Update on PS5
This reminds me I need to pick this up, loved the demo - completely unhinged yet endearing
Re: Round Up: Total Lack of Mafia: The Old Country PS5 Reviews Is a Red Flag
I love how every single Mafia game has followed the exact same trajectory:
And it just repeats, somehow the hype expecting this to be the one that changes it all
Re: Sony CEO Hiroki Totoki Visited Hideo Kojima as Attention Turns to Physint
I have a feeling Physint will be a PS6 launch title, it seems they’re really pushing it as The Next Big Thing so would make sense.
Re: Cute Co-Op Game Hela Puts Mice on PS5 in 2026
Had this one wishlisted for a while, looks like really pretty, gentle fun
Re: PS5 Sequel Darksiders 4 Has Online and Split-Screen Co-Op, By the Way
Hopefully single player is unaffected, and we get more of the exploration of 2 as opposed to to the more linear 3. I LOVED 2, but just really struggled with 3, not sure I even finished it. Still excited to see a new entry!
Re: Here's Your Best Look Yet at PS5's Ultra Promising Pragmata
Looks a bit dull in this clip, but the bioshock hacking minigame was fun, looks like a cross between that and Mass Effect 2 in terms of gameplay.
Hopefully there is more to it though, and it’s not just the same clunky 3 enemy types and a minigame that just needs to be done faster to inflate difficulty. I’d love to see more of the world and story
Re: Dynasty Warriors: Origins 'Major DLC' Announced Alongside Remaster of an Old Game
Hopefully an ‘xtreme legends’ game! I’d love a ‘modernised’ DW where I can take over Japan with my custom merry band of absolute freaks
Re: Reanimal for Sure Looks Like the Most Stressful Game Ever Made for PS5
It may look very much like Little Nightmares, but that only means it looks incredible. Will probably be too scary for me, but I made it through Little Nightmares and Silent Hill 2 in hour bursts, maybe I’ll challenge myself.
Re: The Adventures of Elliot Is Another New PS5 RPG from Octopath Traveler Dev
I’m a life-long JRPG fan, but this just looks dull. Dull with terrible names. But I’ll wait for more information and reviews, Octopath 2 didn’t look great in its promotion but had a lot more depth than appeared
Re: Microsoft Reiterates It's the Top Publisher on PS5 in Earnings Call
@Kierant202 it’s not real ;( PlayStation 1995 breaking my heart and enraging my soul almost as hard as 1996 did thrusting Bubsy 3D on little me. I’d pay too dollar for a Lost Odyssey remaster, such a beautiful, sad game
Re: Mafia: The Old Country Is Endearingly Old School in New PS5 Pro Trailer
A focused, linear experience like 1 will be great, hopefully it’s a strong story too. The graphics and animations look a bit rougher than they have in other promotion though. Looks like a game that will win hearts over awards possibly.
Re: Mini Review: Tales of the Shire: A Lord of the Rings Game (PS5) - One Cosy Game to Bore Them All
I was weirdly pretty intrigued by this, imagine a game where you build up a cute village, have wild parties with your hobbit bros and idle away the days frolicking in the knowledge one day it will all end. Could have been great, but sounds like it was lazy, tickbox design
Re: UK Citizens Using Death Stranding 2 on PS5 to Bypass Porn Blocks
Norman Reedus and his pornographic feetpics
Re: Dino Crisis-Inspired Shooter Code Violet Gets a PS5 Exclusive Release Date
This looks like it could be a lot of fun, a solid AA taking bits and pieces from Uncharted, Dead Space and Alien. Definitely on my radar, but as ever will wait for those reviews.
Re: New Final Fantasy 9 CG Art Adorns Famitsu Magazine, Feels Like Remake Bait
It’s only a matter of time. And money. And considerable luck. And when I say time, I mean several years of ‘almosts’ until anyone who remembered is just about to retire, then Square Enix will discover the heretofore untapped retiree market. Then they won’t release part 2 until we’re dying. We’ll never finish the trilogy. Anyone younger won’t remember FF9. It’ll kill off Square Enix. The Japanese game market will crash. The global games market will follow. Without gaming to distract us discontent will overflow. The revelation will come. World Peace will follow the inevitable war. But at what price, Square? At what price?
Re: The Mortal Kombat 2 Movie Doesn't Look Good, But That's Kinda Perfect
d&D: Honour Among Thieves meets Deadpool, I’m down
Re: RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business (PS5) - Standalone Mini-Sequel Just Misses the Mark
I’ll definitely grab this is a sale, shame no progress carries over. But generally sounds like the base game, a lot of fun with no bells or whistles, jus a robocop, a ridiculous pistol and goons to mow down
Re: Sony's Zelda Movie Confirms Its Link and Zelda Actors
@rjejr I was thinking of films like Dragonheart, Robin Hood: Men in Tights (not strictly fantasy-fantasy), and the various 90s fantasy tv shows. But that whole aesthetic of, as you mentioned, 80s and 90s fantasy. Cheap costumes and effects, but a lot of heart and a proper sense of fun and adventure. Something like the recent Dungeons & Dragons film
They all took themselves a little too seriously in the 00’s, or got too saccharine
Re: Sony's Zelda Movie Confirms Its Link and Zelda Actors
I still can’t see this coming out as anything other than a cheapo 90s fantasy throwback. So I hope they just lean full tilt into that, give us Zelda: Elves in Tights with a devastating ending like Dragonheart that knocks you to the ground and thunderstomps your pendulums.
Please don’t just give us a ***** 00s Disney princess straight-to-streaming film
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for July 2025?
@KyushuTrail glad to hear! It was the same for me, but someone else gave me the same advice.
Enjoy the rest of the ride!
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for July 2025?
@KyushuTrail unless it’s really not, I’d plow some time in.
It’s one of those games that gets better and better the more you play - the gameplay opens up, and the side quests will throw you through the full gamut of emotions (genuinely made me cry at times, and has a fantastically unnerving horror side quest)
A great month, but I’ve already played or own the games I’d want to play from it. But something quality for everyone!
Re: Preview: Way of the Sword Reforges Onimusha for a New PS5 Era
If anything, I wonder if the original games were an influence on Souls games - they share a similar difficulty and atmosphere (I was like 12 when I played Onimusha 2 though, so maybe it’s not difficult).
I just hope we’re not stuck with annoying checkpoints, and a game that puts difficulty front and centre. It all looks and sounds sick though!
Re: Amazon Prime Day 2025 - Best Deals on PS5 Games, Controllers, SSDs, 4K TVs, and More
Can recommend the phenomenally terribly named ‘HyperX Cloud Alpha’ headset, have a pair myself. Lightweight, comfy and push out good sound. Just try not to think about the name, try really hard.
Re: There's Unfinished Business in Robocop: Rogue City's Standalone Expansion on PS5
The base game was just plain fun. I didn’t have particularly terrible frame rate, but it was charmingly clunky (not unlike a certain cyborg). But the action was crunchy, it was surprisingly funny and the story had moments of real heart.
I’m hyped for a bit more janky mayhem
Re: Stunning Final Fantasy 9 Artwork Revealed as Rumoured Remake Date Fast Approaches
@Czar_Khastik what do you mean, ‘RED’ is obvious: Rad Elongated Mongrel
13 is just his age.
Re: Stunning Final Fantasy 9 Artwork Revealed as Rumoured Remake Date Fast Approaches
I’d love a 2.5D glow up, keep most of it as it was with some modern flourishes, maybe some good voice acting. I
t’s such a beautiful story full of wonderful (and some frankly unhinged) characters, where almost everyone has sweeping arcs.
Just please don’t make us do 100 rope skips again with terrible delayed timing
Re: Hitler Seemingly Removed from New Visual Novel PS5 Game
@thefourfoldroot1 100% agree, and luckily it is taught in schools. I think it’s a powerful lesson that seems to have been forgotten, with this global rise in the far right and neo-fascism.
But also hard to make a proper conclusion on this specific game without context, maybe it’s the opposite, they didn’t want to offend neo-Nazis.
Doubtful though, not sure they’re a key demographic of non-pornographic Japanese VN’s, but we still don’t know enough to make a snap judgement.
Re: Hitler Seemingly Removed from New Visual Novel PS5 Game
ITS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS GONE MAYAD! But actually sounds sensible, it could cause issues with distribution, even if obviously not pro-Nazi the iconography and theme might conflict with various T&C’s.
Plus ‘Dictator X’ gives it a nice global feel, is it Hitler? Mousellouini? Kim Jong un? Mr T? The Action Man villain who had a great design but not sure what his actual deal was?
Re: First PS Plus Extra Game for July 2025 Confirmed
Essentials was excellent, which makes up for this beige fizzle in a saucepan. Hopefully we’ll get something more exciting
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for July 2025 Announced
Finally, an excellent month for all entries, varied but all games I’d love to play but was wary about investing in - time to start another potentially endless RPG I guess
Re: The Expedition 33 Story Keeps on Getting Better with 'Unusual' Sales Increase
Very much looking forward to buying and starting this next month, when I’ve got the expendable ££ - it sounds like a fantastic experience, it’s wonderful for a new studio to knock it out the park.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 586
@sorteddan I started that recently too. It’s the thief of time, sleep and general life.
I’m going to try and break free from its grasp and finish off Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and then go back to the other massive time sink in my life, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
Re: Poll: How Do You Feel About The Last of Us Part 2, 5 Years Later?
An incredible game I just couldn’t handle when it came out, though I plan to go back to it soon.
I’ve never played a game that’s been so profoundly disturbing to play, the way ‘enemies’ react to finding others dead was horrific.
Only a truly special game can put you off playing because it feels too real, too bleak.
Re: There's a Brutal Lack of Interest in Marathon from Hardcore PS5 Fans
They keep releasing these live-action games without really promoting any hook or novelty, besides a nice art style.
What separates this from Concorde, from Suicide Squad, heck, even the online parts of Mass Effect: Andromeda? You run, you gun, you get experience to run and gun better. Maybe there is more to it, but that’s what needs to be pushed.
Re: Final Fantasy 16 May Have Underperformed on PS5, But It's Doing Terribly on Xbox
Not wildly surprised, I’ve not a couple of issues with all these ports to other consoles:
Offer them at £30, treat it like the launch of a new game, address any underlying critiques where you can in a patch.
Shame though, I think 16 is easily the best since 10. It has some astronomically bizarre pacing issues, but when it comes to crunch points it hits incredible heights. I’ve not been so excited playing a game for years at those points. It just follows those up with “QUICK, HERO, BRING US SAND” quests for a couple hours
Re: This PS5 Adventure from Another Code's Scribe Has a Truly Bonkers Premise
@Scottyy it’s mad that in the current state of the world this could as easily be genuine as a joke.
But the game sounds…intriguing. I think I burnt myself out on VN’s in my younger years, but we may get an anime out of it, if it’s good and popular!
Re: Mini Review: The Alters (PS5) - Thought-Provoking Sci-Fi Caper Is 11 Bit Studios' Best Game Yet
Totally forgot about this, sounds very interesting. And far less traumatic than ‘This War of Mine’ but no less thoughtful
Re: 9 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for June 2025 Announced
This was looking dire until the second half - Katamari id love to revisit, original was glorious, madcap Japanese fun. Eiyuden has been on my wishlist for ages, and Endless Dungeon has me intrigued. Train Sim might get a look in, depending how wild I’m feeling
Re: Site News: Where's Our MindsEye PS5 Review?
I don’t think anyone’s going into this expecting the greatest action game ever made - but if we get a janky fun takes-itself-seriously-to-unintended-hilarious-heights rollercoaster I’ll be intrigued.
Re: Gritty, Turn-Based Viking RPG Norse: Oath of Blood Is One to Watch on PS5
Looks a bit clunky, but I’m still intrigued.
As long as there’s strong RPG elements I’ll be sold, I’d love to be able to explore a big map, make big decisions for my settlement and form or break alliances through different means.
Or just give me a fishing game and the ability to name my villagers and warriors dumb names. Either/or
Re: The Outer Worlds 2 Is an $80 Game on PS5, as Xbox Continues to Push Game Pass
I’m sure a lot of time and effort has gone into the game, and £70 isn’t therefore unfair to ask, but it won’t sell at that price.
I enjoyed the first game, but it had a weird, clinical feel to it at points, devoid of love, which multiple people I’ve spoken to felt. You can’t sell a full price sequel well when the original was a “I think I liked it?” Bought in a deep sale
Re: Grimdark RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker Bites PS5 in 2026
The atmosphere and world look fantastic, but apprehensive about the “30 Days and Nights” - not a fan of overall game time limits, especially in open world affairs, but will see how it goes.
Re: At Fate's End Is a Familial Action Adventure from the Makers of Spiritfarer
I wonder if I’ll be an absolute emotional wreck blabbering throughout the entirety of this game too. Spiritfarer is an absolute frickin ORDEAL.
Re: DON'T NOD Goes Cinematic Sci-Fi in 2026's Aphelion on PS5
Can’t believe Bethesda have started getting other studios to remake Skyrim now.