J2theEzzo

Didn't ever really get the hype for this, and average scores seem aligned with my impressions... I guess because it's Gamefreak, but not Pokemon? Some of the traversal options and powers seem cool, but combat looks pretty iffy and is seemingly repetitive, with the same few enemies to fight over and over. I can see this coming to PS + essentials.

If there's some more interesting tweaks, like foraging for supplies, etc. it could stand out from the crowd a bit, but having options locked behind a paywall is truly poor practice.

What makes for a solid (and very entertaining) retro beat-em-up / zombie survival game is 'Death Road to Canada', and I'd recommend anyone to look it up who might be remotely interested in this.

@Jey887 Sorry to tell you, but I think you miscounted... 😉

We have; Cloud, Barrett, Tifa, Red, Yuffie, Cait; Cid and Vincent.

Going by the video, you can briefly see Cloud's default class, and he also gets 'Warrior'. Assumedly, Tifa is a monk, by default, and gets some kind of mage class... Cid is no doubt a dragoon/ lancer, Cait a gambler, Yuffie a ninja etc.

I think 4 each (or 1 default and 3 extra) is plenty really. More curious to see how much it actually changes things, beyond gear and materia!

@DennisReynolds I mean MvC2 is a buggy, unbalanced, mess with limited content - but with its wide roster, it's still regarded highly as a 2d / tag fighter.

Personally, I don't play online much, and I don't really care about any of that stuff. I like to play locally, with friends, and focus on having fun. Sometimes, I even enjoy the challenge of trying to outplay a 'stronger' character with a weak pick; I got exceptionally good with some of the 'worst' characters in Tekken. I liked playing Budokai 3 (also widely unbalanced), not because of all the bells and whistles, but because it was just fun to smash a friend through a mountain, or surprise someone with how many weird transformations you could go through in a single match.

Again, my opinion and stance is clearly just different to yours, and I don't think we're going to come to any agreement, and that's fine. We are each equally entitled to that, and we clearly seek different things, but then you have to accept that, for however much you disagree with my stance, it is still my stance and I am perfectly 'right' to hold it, just as you can be to feel differently - I'm not fantasising 'a past that never existed'; I know very well my own experiences and preferences. Having a different opinion is just that - a difference of opinion, so please, don't try to insult my memory.

@madmaxrules Sounds to me like you did it right! 👍

@Rich33 That's true; the longer they wait, the more obsolete it sort of becomes. But it just doesn't feel "necessary", in my opinion - aware that no console is a "necessity", of course.

That said, I'm not sure what the alternative really is - PC, I suppose, but it's not really the same. Xbox? They don't seem to have much skin in the game these days, either... (and are basically becoming a PC-lite stream machine?)

As I say, I'd be happy for Sony to just suck it up, not release the 6 for a while, and look at making better (optimised) games for the consoles we have, but I'd be in a minority.

@DennisReynolds I would also argue that more content is not always equivalent with something being better! Quantity is not the same as quality, after all.

@DennisReynolds I would rather neither? That's a bit of a fallacy, to suggest those are the only options. I would rather buy the complete game on a sale, and spend £20 for the complete package. I rarely buy games at launch these days, for that exact reason. And if I do, you can bet I'm not coughing up more for dlc. That's my choice.

Back in the day, I'd play with friends. We played a game to hell, unlocked all the characters, and then we battled each other. That was enough for me. Over time, the addition of a more fleshed out single player mode made things more interesting, but ultimately... all you do is fight? You practice; you get better; you beat your friends. That's the point in playing a fighting game. That's still how I play them today. Most people still regard Soul Caliber 2 as the high point of the series - correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that came with 0 dlc?

The shift to an online landscape has changed how people play, but my personal habits remain the same. You can justify any decision any way you like, and I'll continue to do things differently.

@Rich33 Yeah, I can see sense in that, and also, prefer my games to be running at the highest fps possible.

I think it's tricky with mid-gen console releases, as they feel a bit like a testing ground for what the "next gen" should be minimally capable of, but then, I almost feel I'd rather take a longer console cycle, so the next gen actually feels like a leap, rather than a short hop. But, as mentioned, I'm also equally guilty of supporting the practice through buying the PS5 Pro.

I can't say I'll get the PS 6 until more details emerge, and that's just a fact of the direction that the gaming landscape is headed in. And yeah, PC, for all its perks, still comes with drawbacks too. I don't think I'm likely to jump ship to that side, either; more likely, I'll stick to enjoying what I have across my immense backlog.

It's curious times though, and I can't help but think the model of relying on subscription price increases to subsidise console losses is an equally shady practice! Can Sony afford to release a PS6 that most people can't/ won't buy? And if so, how will this effect the other players who don't adopt it... can only wait and see!

@DennisReynolds I have literally 0 interest in skins, or paying for cosmetic items or packs. All I'm saying is that I preferred the method of unlocking characters through playing a game, such as the arcade mode, to today's model of selling various season passes, which each offer about 4 characters for 20 quid. To that effect, yes; I'd rather wait for an "ultimate" edition, and buy the game on sale and get every character right out the gate, as I did with MK11. You can defend the practice all you like, and I'm equally entitled to my opinion.

@DennisReynolds I actually had MK3... along with every Tekken game to release, so far. But okay, sure; you clearly know my gaming habits better than I do, since voicing an opinion about my preference for unlocking characters through playing a game, as opposed to paying for them, suggests so much.

And it's not like more modern games haven't allowed this... MK9 (for example) had a pretty full roster, mostly unlocked through gameplay, with 4 dlc characters. Or, how about the Tekken Tag series?

For every example you provide, I'm sure there's also a counter example. But what do I know... I supposedly never played a fighting game in my life! 😉

@ButteredCrumpet Here's to a good discussion then, and one that can end in a positive way! I also agree with many of your points, and you're right to say that, actually, no one really knows what we're looking at beyond conjecture, in terms of price, or specs, as things will always be subject to change, prior to release.

It's easy to get caught up in the discourse and feel passionate, because at heart, we're passionate about our hobby - but I do also agree with your earlier point (to another comment), that at some time, you just have to learn to quiet the noise and go back to playing the games you like!

So, kudos to you, and happy gaming! 👏

@ButteredCrumpet I actually agree with that point regarding mid-gen refreshes, and made my decision mostly on the basis of thinking this will be my last console. At the point when we're discussing paying upwards of £1,000 for the next machine, I feel it becomes entirely unfeasible, or unreasonable, to continue supporting the industry - and I don't make such a claim lightly, having grown up with a PlayStation ever since the launch of the very first.

Again, my standpoint is based on the question of what major improvements can one expect at that point, for that price, that the PS5 /pro model can't achieve. And the only thing that convinced me to take the pro, over the base model was the increase in internal memory, that essentially justifies the costs, as a 2tb ssd now costs about as much as the difference between a regular and a pro console alone. So, for the extra memory, and given the exchange of my previous console, I've spent about as much for the pro model with 2tb, as I would have for a standard PS5, with a 2tb SSD - and I feel that the pro won't really be improved upon much over the course of the next console generation (so we're led to believe).

Alright, you can take umbrage with my previous attempt at humour, by saying you felt targeted, or insulted. For that, I'll apologise - but I won't back down on my stance that for any industry to push towards elitism, rather than access, is always going to be more harmful than 'good', no matter what that might be.

@ButteredCrumpet I bought the pro because the price of a standard PS5 was about to increase, and I'd had mine for about 4 years already, and while it was on its last legs, I figured I may as well sell it for about the same price I bought it for, while exchanging it for a model that would effectively do the same thing, but with an increased internal memory (that would now cost a whole lot more).

I paid £700 for the pro, with a disc drive, and got about £300 for my old PS5, which made the deal financially viable to me. I expect this console to last me the next 5 years, as a minimum. I also don't think the 'pro' console was a necessity, but I know it's going to last, and will compete adequately with whatever comes out next, assuming said console releases in the next few years, as speculated.

We can argue all about capitalism, and whether it's "right" or not that some people have access to luxury goods that others couldn't dream of, but I'd rather just say that, in my belief, supporting such practices ultimately hurts more people than it does benefit.

If less people transitioned to purely digital storefronts, (for example) we'd have more publishers releasing games on disc, and wouldn't have to be discussing the rights of ownership, and Sony's PS store monopoly. I personally believe the notion of a PS6 is a 'bad' decision, and ergo, those that support and purchase such a device are essentially allowing Sony the free reign to continue to create products that outprice the majority, while giving them more power to push forward with anti-consumer practices. I then question where that leads.

@ButteredCrumpet Not arguing about intelligence here, but I do question for what purpose anyone has to, hypothetically, pay such an assumedly large figure for a console that this very article suggests will have a very long cross-gen life cycle, with diminishing returns. I'd argue, personally, that if a company like Sony put out a new console in such a climate, and people still decide to buy it just because it's "new and shiny", that's thoughtless 'sheep-like' behaviour to me, even if it doesn't make one in the majority.

A 'whale' spends a lot of money over time, because they're caught, hook, line, and sinker, (which are maybe irrelevant metaphors, given whales are mammals, not fish) so I'm trying to make the sardonic joke of whether a whale becomes a sheep, or vice versa.

I also could buy a PS6 at launch, if I wanted to - but after upgrading to a PS5 pro (prior to the price hike), I question for what need anyone really has to just buy the "shiny new" console, ipso facto it's the new thing. Again, that sounds like just blindly following a trend, even if not a very popular, or widely adopted one.

If your argument is simply "I'll buy this unnecessary and overly expensive thing just because I can, as it'll maybe only get more expensive over time, so I may as well", then so be it. I just don't personally understand any need, or reason, to adopt this new tech right now. Sony haven't really innovated in any meaningful way beyond the dualsense controller, so I question what justifies paying so much for a console that most people expect will do near enough the same as it's predecessor.

And yet, despite all this, certain people will still say they're ready to drop ~£1000 on the PS6 at launch.

Does that make a 'whale' or a 'sheep'?

Game was fine, but really only that. It was repetitive as hell and got tedious after 10 hours. Meaning, half-way through, it just gets boring with little development to keep you playing. I played it co-op and still couldn't finish it, but this update might convince me to try and put it to rest, at least.

@Shaw_Brothers Absolutely agreed. These days, it seems common practice to sell a dlc pack for £20 and offer what... 4 characters and a new stage for that price. Much missed are the days of unlocking content through actually playing (not PAYing) the game.

I've waited far too long to not play this game, puzzle boxes be damned!

They need to do something to fix all the babies who rage-quit when they lose. Of all the matches I played, over half got terminated by round 3, because "disconnected". Yeah... right. Not even playing ranked matches, but there needs to be a way to discentivise it happening. I can imagine plenty of people were pulled in because it's 'Marvel', but they need to learn to lose with some grace!

I'm more curious about Fable than I am Laufey - don't imagine I'm alone in that - but the 'life sim' elements put me off, to be fair.

@For-Kier Or an egoist who needs to see his (sub-par) vision of something made to a grander scale. We call that overcompensating.

They'd rather shoehorn in a bunch of third rate extra characters, extra fetch quests ad infinitum and heaps of cliché scenes and cringe worthy dance acts. Or is that only FF7?

Keep it to 1 disc and keep the story intact. Just refresh the graphics and innovate on the gameplay a bit. All they had to do with 7, but after Rebirth, I have no faith in any future remakes.

"Can you imagine Sony making its own disc-specific consoles and marketing them to collectors?"

I believe that's called the PS6 with attachable PS5 disc drive.

That image at the top of the article is enough of a reason to see why this game failed. The art style was already so dissonant with the series' previous direction, and everything else followed suit. Game was a whole load of waft.

Feels good to play; simple to jump into, with a nice variety between characters, while clearly having some depth to what you can pull off. I had a bit of lag, but nothing too awful.

Managed to win most matches, surprisingly, and caused a whole lot of rage-quitting! Haha 😉

Still, one to get later down the line, methinks, with a nice full(er) roster of characters on discount.

While I have no feelings one way or the other about playing as a woman, I do dislike the general direction the series is moving in. At the point of making a talking cube a major character, I'm kinda done with it.
Also somewhat missing the angry Kratos, that'd unexpectedly brutalise anyone just because it was more convenient to do so, and the new iteration does feel severely underpowered, by comparison.

And while I do enjoy the current combat system and the close camera, it's pretty wild to think how 'revolutionary' just adding a jump can be, suggesting the original limitations. The same was true for Elden Ring, I guess!

Sure doesn't look like 'Resident Evil'. Doesn't even look like a story set in the world of RE; just looks like a generic horror film, that's gonna be full of unbelievable acting/ characterisation, with some RE 'cameos' for fan service. Could have called it anything else, really, but people will still say 'this looks great!'.

I liked Darkest Dungeon, and the overall vibe of it, but the fact that the RNG genuinely seems to be more actively working against you, rather than being more fairly impartial just wore me down too much.

Probably for the best that the show just doesn't go ahead 😉

If more games actually launched with a physical edition, you can bet that the overall number of physical sales would be higher, also.

@Krlozgod Aha, I see. That sucks, for sure! I'm always against the idea of console exclusive content... (Soul Caliber 2 may be my only exception).

Thanks for the tip! I think 5 was the one I'd considered previously, so that's good to know!

@Krlozgod What did they do with 7?

I haven't played a Disgaea game since maybe... 2 or 4 on PS2, and have always wanted to jump back in... but then I never know where to start. 🤷‍♂️

Probably not targeting PS4 anymore, then?

Been playing FF7 Rebirth (physical) the past couple of weeks, and the last game to show on my PS App is the last game I played before that, BG3, which is digital. Seems indeed that they've inadvertently scrubbed people's physical play data...

@Northern_munkey Wouldn't be very 'illusive' if he told you that, now! Haha 😉

What they need is a cohesive story, but probably won't offer that, either! 😉

PS6 early adopters are going to have a blast, playing their always online, multi- player only licences. All 50 of them.

@JoeNobody Should you lose your login details for iTunes (as I have), it becomes very difficult to get access to all that music you bought; not so if you have a PC, with a disc drive, and own the CD's.
Likewise, we've seen Sony pull digital media from the storefronts. Can't lose access to your Blu-Ray though, unless you physically misplaced it.
Lastly, yes, some rare games will go up in value. My special edition Japanese import of Demon's Souls for PS3 is worth much more than the £45 I paid for it, many years ago. What's more, as you say, many games actually get cheaper to buy, after time. That means you can save cash, or even het some back, from trade-ins. Not always so with digital games on PS storefront, where prices tend to stay much higher than the physical equivalent.

So... 3 reasons why physical media is better than digital, and all are ones you've tried to say make it worse?

Oh, but I don't buy physical games, you say? 🙄

I think they brought it out in PS3 as part of essential, yonks ago. Therein lies the problem with my not being able to play it though... 🥲

Ooof...

Pretty lacklustre, then. I know people descried previous months, but this really does seem like the worst.

@PuppetMaster I think if they were "remakes" in the vein of the RE-makes, as in, from the ground up, in the new engine, people would've been more interested- I know I would have. But maybe they were saving that all for this one, and I'm glad to get the new title, regardless.

@MrPeanutbutterz Yeah, I used to be a fan of Burnout, but feel like the only titles I'm aware of in the 'arcade' category are the Need for Speed titles, these days. As mentioned, I picked up Crash Team Racing, but besides Sonic... (and to a lesser extent, Lego) the last kart racer I recall being highly rated was the Media Molecule one for PS3 (which also underperformed?). Though I will agree that there's not much between arcade/ kart racing.

When it comes to the racing sim titles, however, seems like GT holds it down pretty well, even if it's a fairly solitary space, but again, I'm hardly the most qualified to talk!

I suppose I'm just saying, in my experience, family friendly arcade racers make for a pretty small demographic and audience on PS5.

@MrPeanutbutterz Ah, no, mis-worded. Specifically meant that the PS5 Kart racing crowd is probably a more niche market (than, say, the arcade, or racing sim crowd).

But I couldn't really say, as racing games in general aren't so much my bag! 🙂‍↔️

@White_oyster That would be a cool one to see return, for sure!

To add to this... Godhand!

Wasn't Shinobi released as part of extra? Can't say for sure, but don't imagine that would have helped sale numbers. Sonic racing basically dropped alongside Mario Kart, and while it's probably the best alternative for anyone who doesn't own a Nintendo, that's also probably a pretty niche market. Only Kart racer I ever bought was Crash Team Racing, more for the PS1 nostalgia, so I wouldn't expect sonic to break massive numbers...

@cainhurst94 Yeah, it's a tough crowd to stand out against. Still, I feel like I've been waiting all my life for a new Onimusha, so I think it's gonna have to be my pick.

I would hope they could comfortably push it forward, and sales might benefit from the space. That said, I feel like most people are already decided about whether they're keen on it, or not, and what they're likely grabbing from the September buffet.

I thought she looked fairly grounded, compared to the bombast of some other characters, but then she pulled out a kamehameha!