Llamageddon

People on here need to realise that having a Kojima game only has prestige amongst enthusiasts, the casual audience couldn't care less. Casuals will get his games based purely on looks and gameplay. In the same way most casual movie goers don't care who the director of a movie is.
I hope the games succeed if only for the sake of the hardworking Devs but I don't see this moving the needle as much as people expect. Perhaps I am somewhat biased though having never really enjoyed his particular brand of weird.

I do get the impression Sony kinda knows they can do what they want now. Sales for next gen are going to be down across all the platform holders, so unless Xbox releases the helix at a significantly lower price (which they won't) Sony aren't going to lose any ground.
In my opinion the average casual gamer is going to buy next gen based on familiarity (what they've always bought), brand recognition or whatever their friends are getting (for the wildly popular multiplayer IP's out there).
I'm expecting cross gen to be a minimum 5 years, so as far as I'm concerned this isn't a decision I'll need to make for quite some time yet. 5-7 years is a very long time in the gaming landscape, so I'm just going to enjoy the glut of amazing looking games coming out in Sept/Oct hoping they all stick their landing.

@GirlVersusGame @Max_the_German well I recently killed a whole bunch of wolves, bears, lions, boars etc in AC Odyssey (to be fair they generally came at me first) but I would never wish harm on an animal in real life.
Most of the time animal killing in games is for resources, it's a game mechanic and not something to be revelled in.
I don't think this game is going to create the next Josef Mengele or Francis Galton. Ultimately it's a video game about stray cats, no need to think too hard about it.

As much as I am looking forward to this game I do take umbrage with best rogue like since binding. Hades was a multiple goty winner and more or less flawless (though I am writing this with massive bias attached as it's one of my all time favourites)
Anyway whinge over, just really happy the game is being received well and hope it is reflected in the sales too.

@Northern_munkey that bounty trophy does sound like it would become very tedious after a while but I also get it when you're just a single trophy away. For me I got the platinum for Hades because I just loved playing it, every aspect for me was a joy so I wanted the platinum to reflect my enjoyment if you will.
I 100%ed a couple of other games pre trophies for the same reason (NFS 2 hot pursuit and burnout 3). Burnout 3 had some super frustrating achievements particularly with the signature takedowns and burning laps. I remember the final achievement I needed was the burning lap with the hot rod and that car simply did not turn (I could hear my controller creaking with the intensity I was gripping it!).
Thanks for sharing, I really enjoy these kind of interactions, especially when so many comments on here are negative (it gets exhausting at times)

@CielloArc their influence has certainly waned but they still have the China/India Hero projects for 3rd party exclusivity. I really like the initiative as they are assisting in growing the industry elsewhere (though China don't seem to need the help anymore).
I think an awful lot of this has been blown out of proportion by a loud minority. The average gamer (Roblox, Fortnite, FIFA, cod etc) probably couldn't care less and will stay with ps purely out of brand recognition.
I think we on these forums need to realise that we are not the average gamer (we're more like the season ticket holders for a sports team, rather than just a casual supporter who might see their team once a year)

@rjejr nice, I'm a big fan of both franchises. Would love to see a new Jak and Daxter one day.
I have a number of games where I'm pretty close to the plat (90%+), but I simply don't care.
My wife on the other hand quite enjoys getting trophies so although I have like 100x more trophies than her, she actually has 5 plats.

@PuppetMaster also I'm not really giving you a hot take given that so many gaming websites are suggesting similar reasons for Sony pulling out of Physint.

@PuppetMaster once again marathon was an attempt at finding the golden goose, I don't know why you refuse to see that. I think it's better to compare single player games to single player games, of which Sony has a number of very well performing franchises (though I'm sure you'll only give examples of ones that didn't do so well like Saros to try and make a point)

@PuppetMaster I don't like the live service route they've taken either, as I said though they are chasing that golden goose.
I agree worthless IP is worthless IP and they have a goldmine of IP that they are just sat on, no arguments there. It's more that when you're funding something as big as a Kojima project and you're not getting the IP with it, then that would be a negative for Sony in their considerations.
When I talk about priorities I am specifically referring to Sony wanting/needing commercial hits more than critical hits.
I'm glad the game is still coming out as that is a win for gamers which is the most important thing.

@PuppetMaster 'If Sony believes an experimental new IP with unconventional gameplay sold 5 millions copies on one platform as "underwhelming" then i don't get why they greenlight DS 2 and even Physint? Shouldn't they just stop at DS 1 and done with Kojima?'

Or maybe they hoped ds2 would build on the sales of ds1 and when it didn't they started getting cold feet for Physint. Sounds logical to me.

@GamerDad66 it seems like part of the reason Sony pulled out was because of Kojimas reluctance to do exclusivity. So if he wouldn't do it for Sony there's no way he will for Xbox considering they less than half the install base.
I am 99% sure there will still be a ps version still in the works, they're just not funding it anymore

@cainhurst94 I wasn't actually aware of ds's success outside of the game but you are right that it is curious/interesting.
Kojima is clearly the biggest winner in all of this and I'm glad it got picked up by Xbox because any game that is saved from cancellation is a win for gamers (in theory). Not that any of this really affects me as I've never really been into Kojimas particular brand of weird, though I would never dismiss a game outright before I've seen anything.

@PuppetMaster I agree Sony have spaffed so much money on live service but they are chasing a golden goose and they will retain the IP regardless. That would be impossible with a Kojima game, if nothing else because he would want to keep the IP.
I don't like the direction Sony are going in but I do understand the risk/reward (for live service) is more enticing than it would be for a Kojima game.
As for comparing a first party exclusive (intergalactic) with a 3rd party non-exclusive (physint) that seems a bit of an non-equivalence for obvious reasons.
Don't get me wrong OD and Physint will probably be critical darlings but that simply isn't Sony's priority at this moment in time.

@playstation1995 it's a Kojima game, so it most certainly won't be free. His penchant for Hollywood star power alone is gonna cost Microsoft a small fortune. Plus it probably won't be out for 6-7 years, so much can happen in that amount of time. I mean Xbox cancelled perfect dark, I don't think they're beyond cancelling this at some point too.

@rjejr I've only the single plat too (Hades), out of curiosity what game do you have the plat for?

@Schonks well that changes everything, I might just give up on gaming completely 🙄

@dwayne91 thanks for the response, I might have to check out his reviews for some of the upcoming games I'm interested in (I won't watch the wolverine one as I wasn't interested to begin with).
Hand holding doesn't bother me so much as it means my wife can probably enjoy the game too. My gaming priorities have shifted as I do enjoy sharing my hobby with her where possible. My 'hardcore' days are well behind me, lol.

I've never watched skillup but I am curious as to why so many put his reviews on a pedestal. Not trying to be disparaging, like I said just curious.

@KundaliniRising333 so everyone who disagreed with you is wrong and deluded? Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

@HairyBizRat absolute nonsense, you clearly haven't checked meta or open critic.

@KundaliniRising333 without proof that is just conspiratorial assumptions or defamation. You might be right but it certainly isn't factual.

@ShadowRJ I already have a deck for all the indies I can't get on playstation, so I would only get a switch for their exclusives which I don't particularly care for. Haven't played a Pokémon or mario game since the GBA and Zelda has never been my cup of tea.
Getting 3rd party games on switch 2 doesn't make sense as my ps5 is more powerful.
Though I do appreciate the suggestion!

@Sakai I see your point of view but as I said to Shadow RJ if I don't trade in my ps5 then that is a massive wedge of cash I would need to spend on new hardware.
I'd say although my position might make me look like a loyalist, I haven't subscribed to plus in years, 95% of my game purchases are third party and I have been all digital since the start of PS4. Which is why some of Sony's most contentious recent decisions haven't irked me as much as most people.
I suppose I should have worded my original post better as it's more about Sony's competitors not doing nearly enough to convince me join their ecosystem (in addition to ps).
It's been a woeful generation on the first party front across all platform holders in my opinion.

@ShadowRJ that's fair but if I don't trade my ps5 in, then I'm looking at a minimum £700 for new hardware and I simply can't justify that for a handful of games I have a passing interest in.
I'm with Sony mostly because of preference of controller and I generally prefer their exclusives to Xboxs. PC is a no go for me not only because of the astronomical price of components now but the inherent faff that comes with the settings for most games. Third party games have always been king for me and I've been digital only since the start of PS4 so a lot of Sony's recent decisions have irked me less than most.
So although Sony has massively dropped the ball this gen it's competitors haven't convinced me enough that the grass is actually greener with them.

@Sakai I don't think it's that easy to be honest. I can only speak from my own perspective but if I were to jump ship to pc or Xbox it would cost me thousands (considering the cost of hardware/rebuilding my library) and neither of those platforms are even remotely attractive enough for me to make that investment.
I might not be happy with current Sony and I haven't subscribed to plus for years but I am somewhat trapped given the amount I've already invested in the ecosystem and I'd be surprised if I am the only one in that situation.
Sony knows that they basically won the console wars at the start of the Xbox one/PS4 era and have been coasting ever since, they make zero effort but the gap only increases.

@mac_da_man at least Xbox has the advantage of it being partially funded by someone else already, so it should take less sales for them to break even. Could well be a smart move and an easy win. As always time will tell though, this might be the game where people say hideo has lost it and is out of touch.

@Ashina I know that would seem to be the case and logic would dictate that to be true, but the gap between Xbox and ps has never been bigger and Asha so far hasn't done anything to close that gap.
People are simply too entrenched in their ecosystem to leave over 2 kojima games that we know little to nothing about.
Unfortunately for Xbox it's a case of too little too late and I cannot see how helix is going to change anything in that regard.
Don't get me wrong, a proper Xbox resurgence would be good for competition and hopefully consumers so I'm all for it. I think Xbox is comfortably winning in the 'vibes' metric but that counts for very little.

I will reserve judgement on this decision until the game/reviews come out. I think people are jumping the gun a bit either because Sony has s**t the bed several occasions this gen or they are deep in the cult of Kojima.
Xbox has clearly jumped at the opportunity but is it because they have faith in the game or because it's an easy win with the 'hardcore' gamers.
I do agree with the Hulst out sentiments, just not for this particular move.

@Dogbreath I appreciate your insight and largely agree. I personally don't mind if trophies, additional endings, bonus bosses are locked behind higher difficulty options. All I personally want is the chance to see the end credits of a product I've paid hard earned money for without hundreds of hours of 'gitting gud'. You mention the elden ring crowd and my main gripe with them is actually the amount of people I've seen say that they completed the game by summoning better players in to do it for them. I would personally take far less satisfaction from that than I would completing it by myself on an easier difficulty (I have made my peace with the fact that souls likes without difficulty options aren't for me).
Overall I believe accessibility to be a good thing especially for those with disabilities. No other medium has that toxic git gud crowd either so it's hard to make a comparison. Could you imagine people calling for translated subtitles to be removed from movies, instead they tell people to git gud at understanding mandarin or French etc. Or people calling for power steering and GPS to be removed from cars because it's 'hand holding'.
All this ranting just to say I find it distasteful for people to want to exclude others for things that don't affect them.
Rant over (none of this was directed at you personally)

@Supern0va are you complaining that you don't have the will power to not use an option you don't want to use?

@Andee you're not wrong 😂 but it is also true that due to limitations in tech that the precision platforming wasn't always so precise. To be fair it still happens in modern games, I found the platforming in Bo: path of the teal lotus quite rage inducing.

@Andee you do have to wonder if these gameplay elements were intentional or just that game design back then was much more limited and janky (particularly with games trying to push the medium forward).
At least the scanner by the sounds of it is entirely optional so shouldn't really affect anyone's enjoyment of the game.

@Nepp67 I'm not disagreeing with your point and I love a good eureka moment when solving a puzzle.
That list of games though are all fairly/very successful, so devs aren't going to change a game design that is apparently making them money. It seems you might be in the minority with your preferences (which is obviously fine) so you might be better off making your peace with it as accessibility is going nowhere I'm afraid.

@TheDarts he's being sarcastic it's in his username bud

Glad to hear it's apparently lived up to the hype, I could really feel the enthusiasm whilst reading the review.
I was on the fence as the demo didn't wow me but it sounds like it didn't do the game justice.

@StewieCat that's what I'm hoping though empty world and lack of enemy variety might be tougher to implement post launch.

Little devil inside gets a release date...... maybe

@TheSingularity I agree with what you are saying but I assume you never go on the ign comment sections. It is comfortably the most toxic, childish discourse on these types of sites (again mostly by a handful of trolls/hot takers).
There are definitely people on here you can have a good convo with though which is why I stick around.

To the FPS complainers - you are a loud minority just like the physical crowd. You have every right to game the way you want but rockstar aren't going to notice the few thousand less games sold as a result.
To the 'infinite money' commenters, rockstar got the infinite money through successful game development so it seems a bit silly to hold that against them.
Though this game may not be my thing these days, I can accept and appreciate the talent rockstar have and expect this to be an absolute juggernaut upon release.

I actually preferred the look of the other Warhammer game. Can't remember what is was called but it was a metroidvania with an emphasis on stealth.

@SuntannedDuck2 are you a developer yourself? You seem to have some very strong opinions on them, was just wondering if it's based on expertise or not.

@Fiendish-Beaver I will be joining you in the not playing gta6, I expect it'll be incredible but it's just not my thing anymore. My 'keeping me busy list' is a bit different to your own, though control resonant still makes the cut.
I'm looking at resonance a plague tale, phantom blade zero, star wars galactic racer, onimusha and castlevania Belmont's curse as my most likely purchases (assuming they review well).
Too many games, too little time!

@RoomWithaMoose I don't have faith in any of them to be honest. I'm expecting Xbox to release the most powerful but most expensive machine, Nintendo will continue with the switch 2 and will get left behind quicker than the others. Sony will be somewhere in the middle but still prohibitively expensive and after an underwhelming gen.
All that to say, all the platforms are going to struggle next gen but that it will mostly come down to cost for the consumer.
I hope I'm wrong but I don't expect to upgrade immediately and the cross gen will be the longest yet so I'm not too concerned.

@PuppetMaster I really liked the look of loulan and hoping they give an update soon.
Wukong was great and I'm hoping this will be spectacular.

So many comments about the art style, it's not my favourite but it's really not that bad. I think they chose it as they are targeting a younger audience (just like with the Lego horizon game).
All that to say, I don't think the commenters on push are the kind of gamers this game is for.

@KundaliniRising333 @MidnightDragonDX a couple of things that make it different from traditional souls likes are difficulty options and the fact you don't lose anything/enemies don't respawn when you die. I'd say it's closer to a character action game like DMC than it is dark souls.

@EfYI I think you might getting your games mixed up. The state of play is for phantom blade zero which as far as I am aware hasn't made an ai song for their trailers. Stellar blade 2 by shift up did though.

I don't think they need to disable comments, they already know what it's going to say as do most of the viewers. Though I engage on the comments here, I never look at comments on YouTube because I value my time too much.

@naruball no problem, I just happen to follow boxing so I was surprised to hear that. Tragic news, RIP.