I saw a picture of Jack Quaid wearing a mocap suit and a frame built out of PVC pipe. I presume this was to film mocap for his gelatinous cube character in Laufey.
Forget for a second that this is - to be generous - a weird choice for a character. Forget that Jack Quaid sounding exactly like his character from everything else he's been in is also a weird choice. Forget that the writing in this game already looks like it will have Veilguard levels of cringey awkwardness.
Why in the name of all things holy does this require motion capture? How many millions of dollars is this adding to the bottom line expense? Why aren't studios more concerned about how they're spending money?
Video games were alive and well before most homes had an internet connection. When it comes to limits to online gaming - the slope is slippery, and no, I don't think that's a fallacy. Every restriction or limitation starts with "common sense" that majority of people (even if it's a manufactured consensus) nod with. Once that foot's in the door, there's a mechanism for scope creep.
My American brain read biscuits and got me thinking about buttermilk biscuits with peppered white sausage gravy. Then you show me a delectable-looking cookie. I'm just gonna have to search those up.
In any case, good on you guys for making adjustments where you see the need.
The game series has been abbreviated FF for so long, the writers decided that the more F-bombs they could squeeze in, the better. Ugh.
I liked a lot about the plot, but boy oh boy was Game of Thrones popular during this game's development. That same tone permeates the whole script.
The combat is fun in a knockoff Devil May Cry kind of way. The spectacle boss fights were both its highest and lowest points. Visually, they were a marvel. They could also be a lot of fun. Then the QTE's started, and I flashed back to 2013 and wanted to pull my hair out. The regular fights can get bland, but I'll admit that I found one combo that worked for me and stuck with it. It's probably more fun if you mix it up.
Look, the game is fine. It's not a top five in the franchise. It may barely be a top 10, but for free, it's real hard to argue with it. I played it once all the way through and enjoyed my time with it all things considered.
I finished a run of Code Veronica X last night. Boy was I rusty, but it was still a great deal of fun.
This weekend, I haven't settled on anything yet. I'd like to pick back up an RPG, maybe Tales of Arise or Trails in the Sky FC (stuck on a boss fight in Chapter 1). I also grabbed a physical copy of Triangle Strategy for PS5. Maybe I'll give that a go.
Failing all that, I could just continue on with some other Resident Evil games - I haven't played through Zero in a VERY long time.
We're in a second golden age of Resident Evil. Rumor has it via PSU and Dusk Golem that we see Veronica before we see Requiem DLC. It seems like a February release is in the cards for us again.
@MrPeanutbutterz He is. He's doing concurrent enrollment, so he's able to take college courses to supplement and/or replace high school ones. He's on track to receive two associate's degrees at the same time as his highschool diploma. Pretty nifty program for brainiacs like him. He can drive with me or his mother in the car for now - once he turns 16, he'll be able to drive on his own.
@IronCrow86 It could move some consoles, though. I know that I bought an XBox 360 for Oblivion, and if they nail this release - and I mean really nail it from a technical and gameplay perspective - I and a whole lot of others would consider buying an XBox just to play it.
It's going to be an uphill climb after how long it's been since Skyrim has released and with all of the hits their reputation has taken over the past decade or so. The "Bethesda jank" isn't charming anymore - people are going to expect better, especially given all of the recent miscues with the likes of Starfield and Oblivion Remastered. I love Skyrim to pieces, but it was released just after my son's first birthday. He's driving and taking university classes now. Here's hoping they can recapture the magic before he earns his degrees.
@SMJ I think it's tying the train of thought to Requiem - if you play on the recommended mode, the two player characters have different POVs, first and third. Even though Veronica has the two playable characters in common with Requiem, it will only have third person.
Nah, I couldn't be bothered to even finish Rebirth. Not with Chadley, the multi verse, endless radio towers, uncanny NPCs, and how they've completely ruined Cid and Red XIII - among other things. The combat wasn't very good to begin with, but I would have put up with it if other elements of the game were strong enough to balance things out. The game is Resident Evil 6 bad - I won't even bother with Revelation.
13 Sentinels is one of those that I wish I could forget all about so that I could play it for the first time again. What a treat.
The Sherlock Holmes game looks cool. I've been tempted by it in the past, but it's tough to go wrong for $4. May give it a shot after my Code Veronica X play through is done.
Quick Edit: There's a bundle for the same price that includes both The Awakened and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. There's another deal for The Absolute Deduction Bundle which includes Sinking City PS5 and 3 other Holmes games for $11.99. 6 investigation style games for under $20, I think that I may just dive on on head first.
As much as I like JRPGs, this one wasn't for me. I am for sure looking forward to Muramasa, but Atelier, Fire Emblem, and Xenoblade aren't really my jam (though I used to like all of these franchises - Atelier Iris 1/2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, and Xenogears/-saga were great - it's just the modern ones I don't like). Resonance is going to have to prove it. Flipping assets from a gacha and piecing it together into a single player game is one hell of a good cost-saving business decision, but it still needs to be a good game - I'll be watching out for that one for sure.
Sounds like it was a good way to cap the show season though - it seems like just about everyone is looking forward to something, and that's enough to get excited about. Gaming is back.
@crossbit I'm with you, but I went ahead and dropped the game around Gongaga. I knew what was coming for Red XIII and Cid. It's like they Disneyfied them.
At launch? Just Onimusha and Trails SC. Lots of certified bangers here, but there are only so many hours in a day, so I'll play what I want the most straight away. The others can wait.
Maybe my ability is sliding as I get older, but Cronos has been a slog for me. Or maybe I'm just not playing it correctly. It seems like the kind of game that absolutely requires you to conserve resources, but combat encounters are forced. The melee attack is weak, and the protagonist isn't mobile at all. I may have to restart this one on easy.
This past week, I finished Lunar: Silver Star Story, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, and the demos for Onimusha and Phase Zero (an old school Resi clone on Steam).
I have physical copies of Triangle Strategy for PS5 and Odin Sphere for PS4 on the way, but it'll be next week before they get here.
This weekend, I'll try to tackle games that I've been bouncing off of, namely Trails in the Sky FC, Cronos: The New Dawn, and Jedi Survivor.
I also have a sudden and intense itch to play Resident Evil: Code Veronica X for some reason. I'll have to decide whether to play on PS2, GameCube, emulate one of them on PC, or just pony up the $6 and play it on PS5.
Alright, I've got outdoor work to do before I can touch a controller today. Have a great weekend, everyone.
@Dai_e_vai That does kind of throw a wrench in that theory, doesn't it? Though Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid both have numbered entries completely out of order chronologically.
I was completely satisfied with the RE Veronica reveal. I hope that it is similar in scale to RE4 Remake.
Stellar Blade got me perked up. It looks fantastic.
There was another one, I think End of Abyss maybe, it looked like Cronos: The New Dawn in the style of Signalis.
The Last Ronin being a Platinum Games title has me hyped too.
There might be another one or two, but these were the highlights for me. My son was disappointed not to see any Persona, but I think we still have an XBox event where that could make an appearance.
@Jireland92 My tinfoil hat theory is that they're redoing the canon, and the V in Veronica is a 5, similar to what they've been doing in RE Engine Resident Evils since VII. Resident Evil Veronica would be RE5 in the new canon.
I'm hoping for some sort of Persona update and/or reveal - something that isn't either a Persona 5 spinoff or a gacha game.
I also would like to see what SE is up to outside of Final Fantasy. I'm still holding out hope for more HD-2D facelifts for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears similar to what they did with Star Ocean 2.
Capcom has been so busy that it's hard to expect any more with what they've already done, but I'd love an update on Requiem DLC and/or Code Veronica.
If we get any of one of these, I'll be thoroughly satisfied with the show.
I'm a little shocked that this is what people really want. I've already made my feelings known on Laufey, so I won't go deeper into it. I'm also surprised at the relative lack of excitement for Onimusha.
ILL does look rather cool - I'm going to withhold the hype for now, but if it can reach the same level as Fobia, we could have a good B-tier horror experience on our hands.
Redundant? Repugnance? Remake was ok. I like what they did with the soundtrack the most. Rebirth was awful - what were they thinking? I am looking forward to the third game releasing so that we can just collectively put the entire dumpster fire behind us. I can't believe how badly they whiffed on Rebirth given the source material.
The 20 minute gameplay felt like 16 minutes of cutscene and 4 minutes of gameplay. I get that it's the beginning of the game, but the way it starts and stops is jarring.
Their constant need to cut the tension was also very puzzling. Here they've built this really cool, kind of dark premise and suddenly, a very out of place Pokémon looking thing appears as the early game signpost. Weird, but ok. Maybe it'll turn into a monster later and try to eat us.
Skip forward to when she's in captivity, and there's a talking cube and a companion tassel. It'd be interesting if they didn't talk like American poli-sci majors working at a Starbucks. It's all so off-putting, especially with the way that the cube intervened in combat. I get what they're trying to do, and I think that's why I don't care for it. It's impossible to take this seriously, and at this point, it has to be by design. It doesn't help that the battle is interrupted by yet another cut scene.
I logged a ridiculous number of hours into this game when it came out. I think my friends got tired of me talking about it. I'll for sure be picking it up for the nostalgia factor alone.
@DartLOD Likely a relief for the review staff who have to play all of the games and write their reviews. For you and me though, I agree. Many games are at their best at reduced cost with bugs worked out.
Onimusha, heck yeah. I got what I wanted from this one.
The God of War presentation was so frustrating. I really wanted to like it. The premise is cool, but man, they refuse to build tension.
Wake up in a weird place, what's going on... Oh, and cute little Pokémon looking thing jumps out of the bushes to sign post. Alright then. And the talking cube? First, the dude sounds like a current year Pacific Northwest barista - I half expected him to ask her how she wanted her coffee. And to watch it move around and try to fight as part of the combat - no. It just doesn't want to be taken seriously at all, and I really, really dislike this quippy Marvel-esque writing style for this reason.
Stuntman looks cool as do Tomb Raider and Control Resonant.
SGF is around the corner - hoping for a Persona reveal soon.
The male protag barely looks like a guy. What's with that? The MC from Metaphor was the same way - didn't like his design at all. Not a fan of the style. I was kind of hoping they'd drift back towards the Digital Devil Saga art style. That was wishful thinking, but man, that style stood out.
@Joabra01Swe 100% agreed. Some of these are still cheaper or the same price physically. Persona 3 Reload was $19.99 on Amazon before it was put on sale for $23.99, just for example.
Gaming time is so hard to come by this time of year. The weather is a bit bipolar - it won't stop raining long enough for the yard to get dry so that I can cut it, but I should have time to work on my fence tear down and vehicle gate build. I also need to redeck my trailer. This morning though, need to get a few things done at my wife's business - fix some furniture, spray for pests, and seal up some cracks.
I'm sort of bouncing between games.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is such a fun Metroidvania. There are difficulty spikes here and there, but once you find a boss strategy that works, it's a blast.
Speaking of difficulty spikes, Trails in the Sky FC wouldn't be a proper Trails game without a boss that comes out of nowhere and kicks your teeth in. I imagine I'll take a couple swings at the boss I'm stuck on and see if I can pull out a victory.
Lastly, I spun up Cronus: The New Dawn and put in a bit of time. I'm a little torn on it - I don't think that the balance is quite there and it's been a bit linear in the opening act, but I'm willing to push through some of that and see what it's like after a few hours.
I'd like to see them do it - rip off the Band-Aid so to speak. Make it quick, highlight the things that people might want to see out of a game, and move on to something else. No HUGE CINEMATIC REVEAL with DEV INTERVIEWS and OMG THE VA'S ARE HERE!!1! sort of fanfare. Test the waters and see where people are at.
It's cars on a track. Gran Turismo is Italian for Grand Touring, which is in common use to denote fast, luxury cars. Has been for more than 50 years. Calling something in the car space GT isn't stepping on any toes. Calling something a "Gran Turismo copy cat" for having cars is something.
If you have to add a feature to hide your HUD, then your HUD sucks, and you should work to either tune it or allow players to customize it. On one hand, it's fine that they did this - a lot of people will like it. On the other, it's a lazy "solution" that they can point to and say, "Hey, we're helping!" Games like Ghost of Tsushima and Dead Space were master works in how to make a HUD work with your game OR supply the information in-world that your player needs.
I said it's not because I don't think any tier is a good value for me. I don't want to subscribe to a service that offers random games that I get to play for a while before they're gone. Maybe a game I want is on there at some point throughout the year. It's just not for me.
I would appreciate a much lower tier - like a $2.99 Backup Tier that allows for just cloud saves and nothing else. I would actually pay for that. I despise the amount of friction that Sony has added to the whole backup process.
Out camping with my son this weekend - we're sitting in front of the campfire waiting on the bait shop to open. The fish weren't biting last night, but I have a feeling live bait will go over much better.
We brought handhelds for downtime. He's playing Pokémon FireRed, and I'm making my way through HeartGold - my first trek through Johto since I skipped Gen 2 entirely.
Sony first party just isn't my jam anymore. I'm looking forward to Onimusha - I think that's the only thing I'm looking forward to for the rest of the year that would be at a Sony showcase.
Comments 851
Re: Rumour: Gaming Industry 'Bloodbath' Imminent, as Sony, Microsoft, and More Brace for Mass Layoffs
I saw a picture of Jack Quaid wearing a mocap suit and a frame built out of PVC pipe. I presume this was to film mocap for his gelatinous cube character in Laufey.
Forget for a second that this is - to be generous - a weird choice for a character. Forget that Jack Quaid sounding exactly like his character from everything else he's been in is also a weird choice. Forget that the writing in this game already looks like it will have Veilguard levels of cringey awkwardness.
Why in the name of all things holy does this require motion capture? How many millions of dollars is this adding to the bottom line expense? Why aren't studios more concerned about how they're spending money?
Re: Another Sony Security Concern: PS5 Games People Don't Own Are Appearing on Their Profiles
@4fold I think I'd rather have the H game show up tbh.
Re: UK Gamers Question Hobby's Future as Government Bans Kids from Social Media
Video games were alive and well before most homes had an internet connection. When it comes to limits to online gaming - the slope is slippery, and no, I don't think that's a fallacy. Every restriction or limitation starts with "common sense" that majority of people (even if it's a manufactured consensus) nod with. Once that foot's in the door, there's a mechanism for scope creep.
Re: Site News: Oh, Hi Everyone! Did You Notice Anything Different Here Recently?
I hadn't noticed. I'm terrible at that, it seems.
My American brain read biscuits and got me thinking about buttermilk biscuits with peppered white sausage gravy. Then you show me a delectable-looking cookie. I'm just gonna have to search those up.
In any case, good on you guys for making adjustments where you see the need.
Re: Poll: What's Your PS5 Game of the Year for 2026 So Far?
Pragmata and Requiem are the only two I've played on this list. They're neck and neck for me. Pragmata was such an unexpected treat.
Re: Opinion: PS Plus Users, You Should Play Final Fantasy 16 (But Only If You Play It Like This)
The game series has been abbreviated FF for so long, the writers decided that the more F-bombs they could squeeze in, the better. Ugh.
I liked a lot about the plot, but boy oh boy was Game of Thrones popular during this game's development. That same tone permeates the whole script.
The combat is fun in a knockoff Devil May Cry kind of way. The spectacle boss fights were both its highest and lowest points. Visually, they were a marvel. They could also be a lot of fun. Then the QTE's started, and I flashed back to 2013 and wanted to pull my hair out. The regular fights can get bland, but I'll admit that I found one combo that worked for me and stuck with it. It's probably more fun if you mix it up.
Look, the game is fine. It's not a top five in the franchise. It may barely be a top 10, but for free, it's real hard to argue with it. I played it once all the way through and enjoyed my time with it all things considered.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 637
I finished a run of Code Veronica X last night. Boy was I rusty, but it was still a great deal of fun.
This weekend, I haven't settled on anything yet. I'd like to pick back up an RPG, maybe Tales of Arise or Trails in the Sky FC (stuck on a boss fight in Chapter 1). I also grabbed a physical copy of Triangle Strategy for PS5. Maybe I'll give that a go.
Failing all that, I could just continue on with some other Resident Evil games - I haven't played through Zero in a VERY long time.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
Re: Resident Evil Veronica PS5 Remake in Demand with One Million Wishlists
We're in a second golden age of Resident Evil. Rumor has it via PSU and Dusk Golem that we see Veronica before we see Requiem DLC. It seems like a February release is in the cards for us again.
Re: 'It Looks Amazing and It's Coming Along Well': The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Making Progress
@MrPeanutbutterz He is. He's doing concurrent enrollment, so he's able to take college courses to supplement and/or replace high school ones. He's on track to receive two associate's degrees at the same time as his highschool diploma. Pretty nifty program for brainiacs like him. He can drive with me or his mother in the car for now - once he turns 16, he'll be able to drive on his own.
Re: 'It Looks Amazing and It's Coming Along Well': The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Making Progress
@IronCrow86 It could move some consoles, though. I know that I bought an XBox 360 for Oblivion, and if they nail this release - and I mean really nail it from a technical and gameplay perspective - I and a whole lot of others would consider buying an XBox just to play it.
Re: 'It Looks Amazing and It's Coming Along Well': The Elder Scrolls 6 Is Making Progress
It's going to be an uphill climb after how long it's been since Skyrim has released and with all of the hits their reputation has taken over the past decade or so. The "Bethesda jank" isn't charming anymore - people are going to expect better, especially given all of the recent miscues with the likes of Starfield and Oblivion Remastered. I love Skyrim to pieces, but it was released just after my son's first birthday. He's driving and taking university classes now. Here's hoping they can recapture the magic before he earns his degrees.
Re: Unlike Its Reveal Trailer, Resident Evil Veronica on PS5 Will Be Fully Third-Person
@SMJ I think it's tying the train of thought to Requiem - if you play on the recommended mode, the two player characters have different POVs, first and third. Even though Veronica has the two playable characters in common with Requiem, it will only have third person.
At least that's how I interpreted it.
Re: Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Will Address Rebirth's Excessive Minigame Problem
Nah, I couldn't be bothered to even finish Rebirth. Not with Chadley, the multi verse, endless radio towers, uncanny NPCs, and how they've completely ruined Cid and Red XIII - among other things. The combat wasn't very good to begin with, but I would have put up with it if other elements of the game were strong enough to balance things out. The game is Resident Evil 6 bad - I won't even bother with Revelation.
Re: 25+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's Mid-Year Deals Sale
13 Sentinels is one of those that I wish I could forget all about so that I could play it for the first time again. What a treat.
The Sherlock Holmes game looks cool. I've been tempted by it in the past, but it's tough to go wrong for $4. May give it a shot after my Code Veronica X play through is done.
Quick Edit: There's a bundle for the same price that includes both The Awakened and The Testament of Sherlock Holmes. There's another deal for The Absolute Deduction Bundle which includes Sinking City PS5 and 3 other Holmes games for $11.99. 6 investigation style games for under $20, I think that I may just dive on on head first.
Re: Stunning PS Vita Action RPG Muramasa Is Being Reborn on PS5 Next Year
@LikelySatan Thank you for the heads up on Grand Knight's History.
Re: Round Up: All the PS5 Reveals from the Nintendo Direct for June 2026
As much as I like JRPGs, this one wasn't for me. I am for sure looking forward to Muramasa, but Atelier, Fire Emblem, and Xenoblade aren't really my jam (though I used to like all of these franchises - Atelier Iris 1/2, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, and Xenogears/-saga were great - it's just the modern ones I don't like). Resonance is going to have to prove it. Flipping assets from a gacha and piecing it together into a single player game is one hell of a good cost-saving business decision, but it still needs to be a good game - I'll be watching out for that one for sure.
Sounds like it was a good way to cap the show season though - it seems like just about everyone is looking forward to something, and that's enough to get excited about. Gaming is back.
Re: 'There Is Only One Ending': Final Fantasy 7 Revelation Director Confirms Linear Story
@crossbit I'm with you, but I went ahead and dropped the game around Gongaga. I knew what was coming for Red XIII and Cid. It's like they Disneyfied them.
Re: Don't Expect Persona 6 News Until P4 Revival Is Out
@McBurn Soul Hackers II is an underrated gem. Another one would be great.
Re: The PS5 Release Schedule for Fall 2026 Is Now Beyond a Joke
At launch? Just Onimusha and Trails SC. Lots of certified bangers here, but there are only so many hours in a day, so I'll play what I want the most straight away. The others can wait.
Re: Persona 6 Finally Announced for PS5 with a Surprisingly Dark Reveal
Love the tone. Looking forward to seeing more.
Re: Persona 4 Revival Includes P4G Content, Confirms February 2027 Release Date on PS5
Outstanding, looking forward to it. I've played the PS2 original and Golden on Steam a couple of times, can't get enough of it.
Re: 'Impeccable' Sci-Fi Horror Cronos Adds New PS5 Story DLC This Year
Maybe my ability is sliding as I get older, but Cronos has been a slog for me. Or maybe I'm just not playing it correctly. It seems like the kind of game that absolutely requires you to conserve resources, but combat encounters are forced. The melee attack is weak, and the protagonist isn't mobile at all. I may have to restart this one on easy.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 636
This past week, I finished Lunar: Silver Star Story, Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, and the demos for Onimusha and Phase Zero (an old school Resi clone on Steam).
I have physical copies of Triangle Strategy for PS5 and Odin Sphere for PS4 on the way, but it'll be next week before they get here.
This weekend, I'll try to tackle games that I've been bouncing off of, namely Trails in the Sky FC, Cronos: The New Dawn, and Jedi Survivor.
I also have a sudden and intense itch to play Resident Evil: Code Veronica X for some reason. I'll have to decide whether to play on PS2, GameCube, emulate one of them on PC, or just pony up the $6 and play it on PS5.
Alright, I've got outdoor work to do before I can touch a controller today. Have a great weekend, everyone.
Re: Resident Evil Veronica Confirmed for PS5, Out in 2027
@Dai_e_vai That does kind of throw a wrench in that theory, doesn't it? Though Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid both have numbered entries completely out of order chronologically.
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate Summer Game Fest 2026?
I was completely satisfied with the RE Veronica reveal. I hope that it is similar in scale to RE4 Remake.
Stellar Blade got me perked up. It looks fantastic.
There was another one, I think End of Abyss maybe, it looked like Cronos: The New Dawn in the style of Signalis.
The Last Ronin being a Platinum Games title has me hyped too.
There might be another one or two, but these were the highlights for me. My son was disappointed not to see any Persona, but I think we still have an XBox event where that could make an appearance.
Re: Resident Evil Veronica Confirmed for PS5, Out in 2027
@Jireland92 My tinfoil hat theory is that they're redoing the canon, and the V in Veronica is a 5, similar to what they've been doing in RE Engine Resident Evils since VII. Resident Evil Veronica would be RE5 in the new canon.
Re: Resident Evil Veronica Confirmed for PS5, Out in 2027
ABSOLUTE. CINEMA. (also not sorry)
Re: What Time Is Summer Game Fest 2026 Livestream?
I'm hoping for some sort of Persona update and/or reveal - something that isn't either a Persona 5 spinoff or a gacha game.
I also would like to see what SE is up to outside of Final Fantasy. I'm still holding out hope for more HD-2D facelifts for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears similar to what they did with Star Ocean 2.
Capcom has been so busy that it's hard to expect any more with what they've already done, but I'd love an update on Requiem DLC and/or Code Veronica.
If we get any of one of these, I'll be thoroughly satisfied with the show.
Re: God of War Laufey Voted Best PS5 Game at State of Play
I'm a little shocked that this is what people really want. I've already made my feelings known on Laufey, so I won't go deeper into it. I'm also surprised at the relative lack of excitement for Onimusha.
ILL does look rather cool - I'm going to withhold the hype for now, but if it can reach the same level as Fobia, we could have a good B-tier horror experience on our hands.
Re: Rumour: Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 Reveal Is a Lock for Summer Game Fest
Redundant? Repugnance? Remake was ok. I like what they did with the soundtrack the most. Rebirth was awful - what were they thinking? I am looking forward to the third game releasing so that we can just collectively put the entire dumpster fire behind us. I can't believe how badly they whiffed on Rebirth given the source material.
Re: Yare Yare Daze! More JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Coming to PS5
Cue Roundabout by Yes.
Re: 'What Happens to Gods When They Die?': PS5's New God of War Pulls All Pantheons into One Magical Place
The 20 minute gameplay felt like 16 minutes of cutscene and 4 minutes of gameplay. I get that it's the beginning of the game, but the way it starts and stops is jarring.
Their constant need to cut the tension was also very puzzling. Here they've built this really cool, kind of dark premise and suddenly, a very out of place Pokémon looking thing appears as the early game signpost. Weird, but ok. Maybe it'll turn into a monster later and try to eat us.
Skip forward to when she's in captivity, and there's a talking cube and a companion tassel. It'd be interesting if they didn't talk like American poli-sci majors working at a Starbucks. It's all so off-putting, especially with the way that the cube intervened in combat. I get what they're trying to do, and I think that's why I don't care for it. It's impossible to take this seriously, and at this point, it has to be by design. It doesn't help that the battle is interrupted by yet another cut scene.
This for me was the biggest letdown of the show.
Re: Dynasty Warriors 3 Remastered Adds Origins Protagonist, Marches to PS5 in October
I logged a ridiculous number of hours into this game when it came out. I think my friends got tired of me talking about it. I'll for sure be picking it up for the nostalgia factor alone.
Re: Stunning Action Game Phantom Blade Zero Delayed Out of PS5's Ridiculous September Schedule
@DartLOD Likely a relief for the review staff who have to play all of the games and write their reviews. For you and me though, I agree. Many games are at their best at reduced cost with bugs worked out.
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate State of Play for June 2026?
Onimusha, heck yeah. I got what I wanted from this one.
The God of War presentation was so frustrating. I really wanted to like it. The premise is cool, but man, they refuse to build tension.
Wake up in a weird place, what's going on... Oh, and cute little Pokémon looking thing jumps out of the bushes to sign post. Alright then. And the talking cube? First, the dude sounds like a current year Pacific Northwest barista - I half expected him to ask her how she wanted her coffee. And to watch it move around and try to fight as part of the combat - no. It just doesn't want to be taken seriously at all, and I really, really dislike this quippy Marvel-esque writing style for this reason.
Stuntman looks cool as do Tomb Raider and Control Resonant.
SGF is around the corner - hoping for a Persona reveal soon.
Re: Rumour: Onimusha Adds to Stacked September 2026 PS5 Release Line-Up
Amazing. Capcom is having a heck of a year.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 635
Still making my way through Lunar: Silver Star Story. Real charming RPG - I'm enjoying it.
I'm just about through Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth. The final boss is a bit of a doozy - I might need to go stock up on potions.
Have a good weekend, everybody.
Re: The Outer Worlds Dev Apologises for 'Free' PS5 Upgrade Mess-Up, Can't Provide Original Offer
I'm surprised Obsidian is still running. They can't get out of their own way.
Re: Rumour: Persona 6 Protagonist Leaks Catch Fans Off Guard, Reveal Whispers Intensify
The male protag barely looks like a guy. What's with that? The MC from Metaphor was the same way - didn't like his design at all. Not a fan of the style. I was kind of hoping they'd drift back towards the Digital Devil Saga art style. That was wishful thinking, but man, that style stood out.
Re: Round Up: Mina the Hollower Earns Critical Acclaim, Best-Rated Game of 2026 in First Reviews
I've seen how critics are rating games in the past few years. This doesn't move the needle at all.
Re: 30+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's Days of Play Sale
@Joabra01Swe 100% agreed. Some of these are still cheaper or the same price physically. Persona 3 Reload was $19.99 on Amazon before it was put on sale for $23.99, just for example.
Re: Capcom Is Sitting on a Goldmine of PS5 Announcements - But When Are They Coming?
I'm not holding my breath for the Code Veronica remake, but it would be fantastic.
Another one that should be coming is the Okami sequel. We may be quite a ways away from it, but any news on that would be great.
Two more IPs that need to come back: Dino Crisis (come on guys, you have the Dino assets already from Exo Primal!!) and Breath of Fire.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 634
Gaming time is so hard to come by this time of year. The weather is a bit bipolar - it won't stop raining long enough for the yard to get dry so that I can cut it, but I should have time to work on my fence tear down and vehicle gate build. I also need to redeck my trailer. This morning though, need to get a few things done at my wife's business - fix some furniture, spray for pests, and seal up some cracks.
I'm sort of bouncing between games.
Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is such a fun Metroidvania. There are difficulty spikes here and there, but once you find a boss strategy that works, it's a blast.
Speaking of difficulty spikes, Trails in the Sky FC wouldn't be a proper Trails game without a boss that comes out of nowhere and kicks your teeth in. I imagine I'll take a couple swings at the boss I'm stuck on and see if I can pull out a victory.
Lastly, I spun up Cronus: The New Dawn and put in a bit of time. I'm a little torn on it - I don't think that the balance is quite there and it's been a bit linear in the opening act, but I'm willing to push through some of that and see what it's like after a few hours.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Re: Talking Point: Sony, Don't Re-Reveal Fairgames at the Next State of Play
I'd like to see them do it - rip off the Band-Aid so to speak. Make it quick, highlight the things that people might want to see out of a game, and move on to something else. No HUGE CINEMATIC REVEAL with DEV INTERVIEWS and OMG THE VA'S ARE HERE!!1! sort of fanfare. Test the waters and see where people are at.
Re: Copycat Gran Turismo Games Now Ripping Off PS5 Racer's Marketing
It's cars on a track. Gran Turismo is Italian for Grand Touring, which is in common use to denote fast, luxury cars. Has been for more than 50 years. Calling something in the car space GT isn't stepping on any toes. Calling something a "Gran Turismo copy cat" for having cars is something.
Re: Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced's Instant HUD Toggle Should Be in Every Game
If you have to add a feature to hide your HUD, then your HUD sucks, and you should work to either tune it or allow players to customize it. On one hand, it's fine that they did this - a lot of people will like it. On the other, it's a lazy "solution" that they can point to and say, "Hey, we're helping!" Games like Ghost of Tsushima and Dead Space were master works in how to make a HUD work with your game OR supply the information in-world that your player needs.
Re: 'PS5 Is for the Payers': Just 18% Think PS Plus Essential Is Good Value for Money in 2026
I said it's not because I don't think any tier is a good value for me. I don't want to subscribe to a service that offers random games that I get to play for a while before they're gone. Maybe a game I want is on there at some point throughout the year. It's just not for me.
I would appreciate a much lower tier - like a $2.99 Backup Tier that allows for just cloud saves and nothing else. I would actually pay for that. I despise the amount of friction that Sony has added to the whole backup process.
Re: 'It Should Be Free to Play Online Games': PS Plus Price Squeeze Taken to Task by PS5 Owners
Free is a funny word. It just means that you're either paying for it somewhere else or someone else is paying for it.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 633
Out camping with my son this weekend - we're sitting in front of the campfire waiting on the bait shop to open. The fish weren't biting last night, but I have a feeling live bait will go over much better.
We brought handhelds for downtime. He's playing Pokémon FireRed, and I'm making my way through HeartGold - my first trek through Johto since I skipped Gen 2 entirely.
Have a great weekend, everybody.
Re: What Do You Want from a May 2026 State of Play Showcase?
Sony first party just isn't my jam anymore. I'm looking forward to Onimusha - I think that's the only thing I'm looking forward to for the rest of the year that would be at a Sony showcase.