JB_Whiting

@Balaam_ It's more like being offered a complimentary glass of wine and a bowl of olives while you're admiring the Mona Lisa. Goes down much nicer.

Mercenaries really should have been there at release. There's nothing left for me to do after I nabbed the Plat, and the campaign doesn't lend itself that well to further playthroughs. Will probably trade in for now and pick up a used copy whenever this expansion drops.

After grabbing the Plat (four playthroughs) imma have to settle on an 8. I think the Rhodes Hill section is 10/10 Resi and the Racoon City is more like a 6 - it just becomes a much worse version of RE4; with none of the variety in enemies or locations. Also I found the story by the end to be unsatisfying.

It's still a great game, but not quite top tier Resi for me. I think if it had Mercenaries packaged in, I might've rated it a bit higher, because the movement and shooting is so tight that I just kinda wanna shoot stuff without having to slog my way through the campaign again.

If Pragmata is anything like the length of RE9 I'll probably Plat it in a about 4 days anyway

Saros will probably take up a much larger chunk of my time.

@CielloArc I think it's more that she's meant to be an analyst; so she basically has a desk job, not field trained I suppose. The bigger sin is her boss sending her to the crime scene of her dead mother, and without a partner!

I know the term "looks like AI" gets banded around way too much, but....

I'm actually speechless; Bluepoint have been one of the most consistent of Sony's portfolio. Banger after banger. They're also responsible for (still to this day) one of the most gorgeous PS5 releases (Demon's Souls).

Okay, so they technically don't make original games, but so what? Remakes/remasters are all the rage, and these guys are at the forefront of that. But no, that's not good enough for Sony; Bungie is where it's at apparently...

"Loads of new stuff!" And it's just one proper map and a bunch of pointless limited time modes. EA are dolling these out at a molasses pace. Why not just carve out more of the RedSec map and chuck 'em into MP; I'd be content with that at least.

@lazarus11 Yeah that's what I'm hoping CD replicates. That feeling of entering a wild world where you cut your teeth at the beginning - which I think would amplify the feeling of adventure (that feeling is diluted when everything dies with two hits) - only to work your way up to ultimate warrior, taking on legendary beasts with everything you've learned and acquired. Sounds fun to me!

@tangyzesty That's not what I'm saying. I prefer not to have them for me, if people want a walk in the park that's totally fine. As others have said; there'll probably be areas you'll struggle with, but then can come back to later with better equipment. If it's balanced well and not unfairly difficult, then I think that's a good thing imo.

Well that's certainly piqued my interest now! Difficulty options in RPGs like this are pointless.... why grind out my character with upgrades and equipment when I could, oh I dunno, slide the difficulty down to casual when I'm struggling? The temptation is too great, and there's nothing stopping me from doing it.

KCII is a good example of what I like; starts off hard-as-nails but it forces you to engage with the mechanics properly; then gets progressively easier as you acquire stronger armour - the "grind" is rewarded with a power fantasy. (same with Elden Ring, Black Myth etc) I want Crimson Desert to capture that same feeling, so this is a good decision.

Plus I think it helps create conversation and social support around the game - looking at guides and builds to help you overcome tougher sections/bosses.

@pepsilover2008 Wait people are actually excited for Scream 7, even though all the talent from 5 and 6 have bailed? It looked pretty bad from the trailer

It won't necessarily translate to a longer game; probably it'll mean high-res textures and more fidelity than what's come before.

If they go down the PG-13 route then this is over before it's even started.

Am I reading this right, £21.99? Seems a bit steep for one character.

@MasterChiefWiggum I guess it's aimed more at people who played games like Quake II back in the day (like myself) so there's a certain charm to this type of "boomer shooter". I did enjoy 40K Boltgun from the same devs; though not sure if the Starship Troopers IP translates quite as well to this type of sub-genre.

@Oram77 I wouldn't be quick to announce "what a shame" when this is one person's opinion (this site also gave Kiwami 3 an 8 when most publications seem to hover between 5 and 7s). The overall consensus on this seems to skew a little higher.

If you're on Suda 51's wavelength then I think it's still worth jumping into, but maybe wait for a sale or at least untill they patch up the performance.

I'm guessing that extended preview video was running on a beefy PC, so don't hold your breath that the base PS5 version won't look like smeared doo doo.

@RoomWithaMoose Well said. Maybe it's because I'm getting old, but I feel my time is more precious when it comes to games now. Fun and engaging mechanics will always win out over bloat and massive landscapes to "explore" (which really, just means "potter around and waste my time for not much in return").

I think I'm just no longer impressed by expansive, pretty, yet ultimately empty worlds. I think this will have moments of genuine fun, but I'm far more looking forward to something like Nioh 3 - which, whilst looking like a PS4 game - will have me fully engaged moment-to-moment at all times, with addictive and rewarding gameplay. I just can't see this having a captivating story the likes of KCII has either.

@Rich33 I mean, we can't really know what their work flow is; 7 months could be all the time they need. I remember Nioh 2's early demo looking atrocious, then the final game looked splendid. I'm confident this will be the same.

Their games have never been graphical powerhouses, but they're always great to play and run very smoothly. That's enough for me tbh.

@Rich33 Yeah it was a bit rough, but previews say the final build is way more polished and this demo gives a much better taste of the game's design and mechanics.

Demos that carry over progression are the best kind. Feels like I'm getting the game a week early!

@Ravix How does it compare to KCII? I adored the sequel but never touched the first game cos it ran like a turd on PS4. Would you recommend?

@Fiendish-Beaver It's a great machine. The titles that actually do bother to take full advantage of it (like Requiem) means you'll get a much richer experience. You can always trade it in against PS6 when it releases. That's probably what I'll do.

@AndyKazama For sure; I've never liked that hazy, dithering, dropped-samey-assets look that a lot of UE5 titles have. At least on Pro, the third game will look delightful.

I just wish Sony would fix the glaring issue with using 120fps modes on LG OLEDs. Colour and blacks are always washed out when switching to this mode. Wonder if anyone else has the same issue.

@AndyKazama Truth be told Rebirth was pretty sloppy for UE4; took the Pro to fix all its issues. Let's hope part 3 isn't an unoptimised mess for base PS5 users!

@Dogbreath I put an hour in yesterday and that was enough for me. The movement and shooting feel good, but it has pretty poor display and controller options (no FOV slider is inexcusable when it's defaulted so tight). In fact overall I just think this is poor release for PS5 optimsation (no Pro support either).

The overall flow of a match just feels far too fussy; it's like they've shoehorned a bunch of Fortnite mechanics into something which is trying more to be like Quake Arena. This just isn't worth my time with so many great titles coming.

I mean even if this received glowing reviews I'd still be shunting it in favour of Nioh 3, sorry!

Playground Games single-handedly holding up the Xbox brand.

These games don't deserve re-releases, let alone mentioned as "legendary". I rented the first one from Blockbuster back in the day and it was fun for an hour, but the sequel was pretty miserable if memory serves.

@HaveTheSauce Yeah this was technically a main entry; if I remember correctly this was ostensibly RE3 until Nemesis became a mainline game late in development. I think it's cause it was a Dreamcast exclusive at first so they just stuck a subtitle over it instead of a number. But storywise it definitely slots in the timeline (pssst, it just isn't very good)

Out of all the OG games, this needs it the most. I've always felt that Code Veronica was kind of the Sonic CD of RE games. It's more of a curio than anything and a step back in my eyes after Nemesis, so I'm glad they're revisiting it, but would need some serious updates.

OMG Leon breaks out the MH whetstone

Ok that actually looks pretty good. Would rather they went with the Survivor trilogy look to fit her lean physique, but that looks more or less like Lara to me.

Now can we also axe these "simulator" games with awful AI thumbnails !

Wish PS5 had the 60fps boost thingy that Xbox does would make me dive back into SO many titles.

Actually kinda shocked that this is made by Europeans.

@nessisonett Exactly. People on this very site saying that "it's here to stay", and we should "just accept it or fall behind" is super ironic to me being that we're talking about video games.... which is an artistic medium.... which are created by talented human beings. If we rollover and "accept the inevitable" the people saying this will be the first to start crying that games aren't good any more, and are just a product of AI slop.

I don't like this approach at all. Gonna get some serious whiplash from all the back and forth character switching. Like imagine the high you'll get from roundhouse-kicking zombies in the face - basically being John Wick - then going back to Grace and running around like a scaredy cat with like 4 bullets.

People are going to prefer one over the other and feel let down when they're forced into the opposite character levels.

Reminds me of RE6 a little bit where it's like "hey look we've got something for everyone!" and it just didn't work.

I'm very happy for the game - of course, I've beaten it and it is fabulous - but there are some categories that it won in which I question. Namely: best art direction - I disagree; the game is visually all over the place; it feels like someone went into UE5 toolkit and just randomly pooped a load of assets everywhere. It can be REALLY ugly in places (i especially destest random floating islands - the world has no rhyme or rhythm... yes I get it's inside a painting, but still.)

Also I think best Role Playing Game should have gone to something like KCII; where your actions and choices shape the narrative - that isn't the case with E33.

Overall I am happy it won big, I just think it did rob categories away from other games just because it was riding the wave of immense popularity.

Let Nightdive Studios takeover and then we can talk.

@themightyant I can vouch for the Pro issues. Played an hour and it's insanely choppy. At first I thought it was an intended style, but when I moved the camera to look up only at the sky, it was silky smooth. Definitely worth waiting for a fix on this one.

Even with these leaks, I'm pretty sure Capcom will be revealing him in a later trailer; it's too tempting not to, given the buzz it will create around the game (remember how well RE4 remake sold).

So even if you were to avoid all these leaks, you'd have to go on a serious media black-out to not see him pop up from official sources. A shame, as it really would've been an incredible "holy *****" moment if they did keep him in the dark.

Those animations are lifted right out of RE2 remake. I'm curious about this one; we've only seen Grace in this hospital location but there's apparently an entire section in Racoon.

Glad that's all being kept in the dark; I'm hoping they're hiding something really special.

Really hope they take cues from Chaos Theroy (the height of the series imo) and and open up the levels. Original game was far too linear.

@somnambulance You should! It gets much better as it goes along. Plus, not to spoil anything, but the narrative doesn't really properly reveal itself until you finish it the second time (bit like Silent Hill F - the first ending is kind of a fake out)

I can see Activision running around in a flap, probably very close to hitting the "reboot MW again" button after seeing what BF6 is doing.

@Oram77 I mean you only have to look at the writers and the studio (Sony; not known for quality filmmaking for the most part), and Avi Arad as producer (one of the stinkiest resumes around).

So you'll have to forgive some of us if we don't have a whole lot of faith. Only upside is Wes Ball as director; Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes was pretty good.

@PuppetMaster I think it'll definitely draw mostly from BotW. I mean this film wouldn't even be happening if it wasn't for that game's insane popularity - catapulting the series way more into mainstream the spotlight than it was before. A shame, cos it's actually one of my least favourite Zeldas.