Good riddance, I say. WWE games have been in decline for a long time now, and the last game specifically was just lazy trash. The best "modern" WWE game is still Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain from the PS2 era.
WWE games need a hard reboot. Start from scratch with a new developer, give them 2-3 years to get it absolutely right, and fans will be happy to hand over their money.
The dissenting comments here are valid, but honestly PushSquare has been headed in this direction for some time now. Witness the deluge of fluff articles whenever a big AAA game drops. You know, the ones along the lines of "RESIDENT EVIL 2 REMAKE!!!: How to access the options menu in Resident Evil 2 Remake!!!".
Oh well. At least the reviews are still on-point for the most part.
PS1 Doom really is the missing link between Doom 1 and 2 on PC, and Doom 64. It started the ball rolling with the creepy ambient soundtrack, colored lighting, and completely reworked (and better, in my opinion) sound effects compared to the PC versions. Doom 64 then picked up the baton by incorporating all these improvements, and adding to that completely reworked (equal to the originals, at least) sprites, and brand new maps. So yeah, anyway, that's my shout-out to Doom for PS1.
I'm LOVING this right now. I played through about 10 levels over the weekend. First demon key obtained, Unmaker obtained, all secrets (so far) found. Though, not without a few searches online, I'll admit - some of the secrets in this game simply CAN NOT be sussed-out via the normal methods (checking the map for anomalies, spamming the interact button on every wall, etc). In fact, the very first level has an especially nasty secret regarding barrels that you might want to look up if you care about getting all the secrets.
As an old-school gamer, I think the graphics and sound are great, no complaints there. Aubrey Hodges' ambient background tracks really enhance the atmosphere, much like his soundtrack for PS1 Doom also did. In fact, if you enjoyed PS1 Doom in the past, and haven't played Doom 64 yet, what are you waiting for?!?
I'd recommend turning off the Filtering option in the display settings, which removes the blur and gives the game a crisper look more like other classic Doom titles. Of course, the default Filtering setting is more accurate to the N64 original, and for some the blur might be more nostalgic.
Likewise I'd recommend changing the Antialiasing option in the display settings to SMAA, I think it was. I found that this really cleaned up the line map, though elsewhere I couldn't see much difference.
My comments elsewhere (about your "guide" for this game) not withstanding, excellent review.
I would, though, like to see performance on base PS4 at least touched upon in all reviews going forward, until PS5 drops next year. Surely the majority of your readers are playing on the base system, based on sales figures between base/Pro..? Most reviews here seem to be based on the Pro.
Let's review how this "guide" reads, from the title at the top to where the answer actually lies, shall we?
Guide: The Outer Worlds New Game Plus - Does The Outer Worlds Have New Game Plus? Can you carry progress over in The Outer Worlds? The Outer Worlds New Game Plus Does The Outer Worlds have a New Game Plus mode? Obsidian's latest role-playing game is built with replay value in mind, but can you carry over your progress from a completed save into a brand new game? Does The Outer Worlds Have New Game Plus? Unfortunately, The Outer Worlds does not have a New Game Plus mode.
What the heck happened here? Sure, the promised answer is indeed there, but this reads like it was spit out by a web template and not actually read by a human before publishing. Notice how many times "The Outer Worlds" and "New Game Plus" are repeated.
I do like this site in general - overall they do a good job, but what's the deal with these "guide" posts that PushSquare seems to vomit out 9-10 at a time whenever a big new game drops? Do any readers out there actually find them useful?
"Guide: Hot New Game X Button - How to properly use the X button when playing Hot New Game!" (Feel free to substitute "X" with "cross", if that's your preference.)
@johncalmc So, if frequent crashes are truly "inexcusable", as you stated in the "Cons" section, how did this game still get an 8/10..? It sounds to me like that major, MAJOR failing was indeed excused. Perhaps you could have chosen a different word..? A blue screen crash approximately every 2 hours of game play (on average) is just horrendous. Frankly, I'm crushed, as I was really looking forward to the PS4 port of this game.
I have no issues with the content of the review itself, I just don't think this port deserves an 8/10 based on the crashes you reported.
Agreed. Such perfunctory reviews are seemingly becoming more common on PushSquare. The first time it only raised an eyebrow from me, but it's clearly becoming a trend now. Will only AAA games get the in-depth review treatment from now on?
Also, regarding your comment about the bullet points, I likewise agree that the "Pros/Cons" section really should be summarizing the content already presented in the review, not supplanting it.
EDIT: Just saw Sammy's comment - it would indeed be a good idea to indicate "mini review" status in the headline, going forward.
@darklaw Agreed - the headline says "Torchlight II - Diablo's One True Contender Finally Comes to PS4", and then the review itself depicts the game as decent-but-not-great and 7/10.
Also, the review makes no mention of local multiplayer (or rather, from what I'm hearing on the net, the lack thereof).
@3Stock_Samwise "Hot seat is one of the most brilliant local multiplayer modes I have ever played in a video game, and you don't even need a second controller."
Well, of course. That's what "hot seat" means.
Just a playful jab - I'll see myself out.
(By the way, agreed that Trackmania Turbo deserves a higher position on this list.)
@RogerRoger Well said, and fair enough. My wording could have been better, especially the word "personal". I certainly think the many 76-related criticisms aimed at Bethesda, the developer as a whole, are justified though. (Not if aimed at individual cogs in the machine, acknowledged.) While they, as a dev studio, are certainly subject in many ways to the whims of their publisher, I feel they still should take at least some responsibility for the development decisions they made. Sort of like a soldier put in a questionable spot by the orders of his superiors - should he just follow those orders blindly, or should he use his own judgement? Regarding my take on your initial comment, please believe that I'm truly, genuinely concerned that folks saying "just give them a chance to fix it" and the like gives the dev a free pass that they don't deserve. They are delivering a product, and asking gamers to fork out $60 for the privilege of playing said product. Where's the incentive for Bethesda to clean up its act and cease these sorts of shenanigans, if gamers are willing to just complacently take it and proclaim "Thank you, Sir! May I have another?" There needs to be emotion. There needs to be outrage. Small measures will not change a thing. Gaming as a fandom needs to fight these fights, or homogeny, half-measures, and mediocrity will come to define the hobby we love. It starts with little things like the state of 76 at launch, and gamers correspondingly fighting back with the means available to them, that being Twitter, message boards, etc. And of course, voting with their wallet. I will now also concede that passion can go too far even if well-intentioned, as my previous post illustrated, and leave it at that.
@RogerRoger Please stop making excuses for this game - the kid gloves truly need to come off here. Any vitriol that Bethesda gets regarding Fallout 76 at this point, whether nasty, personal, or otherwise, is fully earned and justified. They screwed up, big time, and they need to be called out on it. And, what exactly entitles Bethesda to being "given a chance" to fix problems that should not exist in the first place? Bethesda is not some scrappy, small indie team struggling to get their poo together - they are a AAA developer and there are expectations that come with that. Fans of the Fallout franchise really need to take this moment to draw a line in the sand and proclaim "This far! No further!" (Picard-style) regarding the state of 76 at launch. Just because this sort of thing is becoming more common, does not make it ok. What's more, even putting aside the bugs, glitches, and poor performance, 76 just isn't designed well. Bethesda is not too big to fail, and I hope 76 tanks hard sales-wise. As long as it makes Bethesda money, no lessons will be learned, and we can expect more and more of these sorts of games going forward. Reading the post-launch reviews so far, the ratings are universally poor (except for the occasional apologist outlier), and deservedly so.
Maybe it's just me, but that was a very perfunctory review. It ended at what felt to me should have been the halfway point. I scrolled down in disbelief thinking "That's it? Where's the rest..?" Even Castlevania Requiem, a re-release of two games that have been around forever, was reviewed in more detail by PushSquare. Oh well - perhaps that's just Rebecca's review style.
Does that apply to the physical edition only? Other than initially pushing out that news, none of the news outlets that I frequent have clarified on that since.
@LiamCroft: Please share with us the current install size on PS4 after updates. I've seen lots of seemingly conflicting info, that it's 100+ GB footprint, or otherwise that only install requires 100+ GB but after that the footprint is actually a more reasonable 55 GB or so. Which is it? Thanks...
@Bliquid
I'm generally happy with the vast majority of the content on PushSquare, Sammy's contributions included, but that doesn't mean I can't call something out when it doesn't meet the usual standard
The reasons behind my comment are very simple:
1. A long list is best presented in alphabetical order - that is common sense
2. This site exists to present Playstation info to its readers in an easily parsed format
3. It's the PushSquare team's job (as in, they get paid) to accomplish #2 above
4. Appreciation is earned, not granted by default
5. Criticism is justified when there is an actual issue
@JLPick I've been watching retail DVD movies on my PS4 for some time now - that's not something the update added. Not sure how the update would have magically fixed your playback issues, though.
@get2sammyb Agreed with so many of the commenters here. A transcipt included for those that can't/won't watch the vid would be nice. I can read that in maybe a minute, vs 4 minutes to watch the vid.
It would be nice if the main body text could automatically re-flow for narrow browser windows - I generally keep my browser window on my vertical monitor, 900x1440, for example. After the site redesign, I now have to change my browser (Chrome) zoom to 90% in order for the main body text not to be truncated on the right side. Probably not a mainstream use case, I'll admit.
"Clearly someone isn't pleased with Hayden's ambitions, as he's soon kidnapped. His creation, Turing, contacts you and convinces you to help find Hayden and bring him to justice."
Um, shouldn't it be the kidnappers that are brought to justice?
I saw The Thing back in '82, when I was maybe 10-11 years old. Seeing that alien-infested dog split open at the mouth like a banana is a something I'll never forget. The severed-head-with-legs is iconic as well. Childhood trauma aside, this is a great movie and far, far beyond the recent remake.
Um, "dozens of platforms"..? Hardly. Rez has appeared on exactly 4 platforms: Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox 360, and now PS4. So, short of even 1 dozen, let alone dozens.
Comments 82
Re: Mini Review: Concept Destruction - Destruction Derby with Cardboard Cars
Is there an Ion Fury review coming?
Re: WWE Confirms That WWE 2K21 Has Been Cancelled
Good riddance, I say. WWE games have been in decline for a long time now, and the last game specifically was just lazy trash. The best "modern" WWE game is still Smackdown: Here Comes the Pain from the PS2 era.
WWE games need a hard reboot. Start from scratch with a new developer, give them 2-3 years to get it absolutely right, and fans will be happy to hand over their money.
Re: PS5's DualSense Controller Has Vastly Improved Analogue Sticks
The dissenting comments here are valid, but honestly PushSquare has been headed in this direction for some time now. Witness the deluge of fluff articles whenever a big AAA game drops. You know, the ones along the lines of "RESIDENT EVIL 2 REMAKE!!!: How to access the options menu in Resident Evil 2 Remake!!!".
Oh well. At least the reviews are still on-point for the most part.
Re: Mini Review: DOOM 64 - After More Than 20 Years, DOOM's Oft-Forgotten Third Instalment Packs a Punch
@gbanas92 It totally is!!!!!
Seriously, it boggles my mind that the Doom 64 devs expected players to figure out the barrel puzzle on their own. And on the first level, no less!
That's just evil. Appropriate for Doom, then.
Re: Mini Review: DOOM 64 - After More Than 20 Years, DOOM's Oft-Forgotten Third Instalment Packs a Punch
PS1 Doom really is the missing link between Doom 1 and 2 on PC, and Doom 64. It started the ball rolling with the creepy ambient soundtrack, colored lighting, and completely reworked (and better, in my opinion) sound effects compared to the PC versions. Doom 64 then picked up the baton by incorporating all these improvements, and adding to that completely reworked (equal to the originals, at least) sprites, and brand new maps. So yeah, anyway, that's my shout-out to Doom for PS1.
Re: Mini Review: DOOM 64 - After More Than 20 Years, DOOM's Oft-Forgotten Third Instalment Packs a Punch
I'm LOVING this right now. I played through about 10 levels over the weekend. First demon key obtained, Unmaker obtained, all secrets (so far) found. Though, not without a few searches online, I'll admit - some of the secrets in this game simply CAN NOT be sussed-out via the normal methods (checking the map for anomalies, spamming the interact button on every wall, etc). In fact, the very first level has an especially nasty secret regarding barrels that you might want to look up if you care about getting all the secrets.
As an old-school gamer, I think the graphics and sound are great, no complaints there. Aubrey Hodges' ambient background tracks really enhance the atmosphere, much like his soundtrack for PS1 Doom also did. In fact, if you enjoyed PS1 Doom in the past, and haven't played Doom 64 yet, what are you waiting for?!?
I'd recommend turning off the Filtering option in the display settings, which removes the blur and gives the game a crisper look more like other classic Doom titles. Of course, the default Filtering setting is more accurate to the N64 original, and for some the blur might be more nostalgic.
Likewise I'd recommend changing the Antialiasing option in the display settings to SMAA, I think it was. I found that this really cleaned up the line map, though elsewhere I couldn't see much difference.
Re: In An Alternate Timeline, We'd Be Playing The Last of Us 2 Right Now
C'mon, PushSquare. This is not "news".
This is pointing out the obvious, disguised (and not even well) as actual content.
This site for sure puts out some nice work, but filler as seen here just dilutes that (in my opinion).
Surely there are better ways to pad out a slow day? Right?
Re: Sony Will Struggle to Top This Amazing PS5 Controller Reveal Render
50 hours battery life?! 1 year PS+ included?!
Hah! Dream on...
These things are just not plausible, and thus (for me) hinder the believability of the render (which otherwise is very well done).
Re: The Outer Worlds - Fallout: New Vegas Meets Mass Effect in This Role-Playing Masterclass
My comments elsewhere (about your "guide" for this game) not withstanding, excellent review.
I would, though, like to see performance on base PS4 at least touched upon in all reviews going forward, until PS5 drops next year. Surely the majority of your readers are playing on the base system, based on sales figures between base/Pro..? Most reviews here seem to be based on the Pro.
Re: Guide: The Outer Worlds New Game Plus - Does The Outer Worlds Have New Game Plus?
Let's review how this "guide" reads, from the title at the top to where the answer actually lies, shall we?
Guide: The Outer Worlds New Game Plus - Does The Outer Worlds Have New Game Plus?
Can you carry progress over in The Outer Worlds?
The Outer Worlds New Game Plus
Does The Outer Worlds have a New Game Plus mode? Obsidian's latest role-playing game is built with replay value in mind, but can you carry over your progress from a completed save into a brand new game?
Does The Outer Worlds Have New Game Plus?
Unfortunately, The Outer Worlds does not have a New Game Plus mode.
What the heck happened here? Sure, the promised answer is indeed there, but this reads like it was spit out by a web template and not actually read by a human before publishing. Notice how many times "The Outer Worlds" and "New Game Plus" are repeated.
I do like this site in general - overall they do a good job, but what's the deal with these "guide" posts that PushSquare seems to vomit out 9-10 at a time whenever a big new game drops? Do any readers out there actually find them useful?
"Guide: Hot New Game X Button - How to properly use the X button when playing Hot New Game!"
(Feel free to substitute "X" with "cross", if that's your preference.)
Re: Frostpunk - Alternate History City Builder Survives Against The Odds
@Flurpsel It amazes me that we're the only ones so far to comment directly regarding the crashes. I guess everyone else is just ok with it..?
Re: Frostpunk - Alternate History City Builder Survives Against The Odds
@johncalmc So, if frequent crashes are truly "inexcusable", as you stated in the "Cons" section, how did this game still get an 8/10..? It sounds to me like that major, MAJOR failing was indeed excused. Perhaps you could have chosen a different word..? A blue screen crash approximately every 2 hours of game play (on average) is just horrendous. Frankly, I'm crushed, as I was really looking forward to the PS4 port of this game.
I have no issues with the content of the review itself, I just don't think this port deserves an 8/10 based on the crashes you reported.
Re: Blasphemous - An Unholy and Triumphant Metroidvania
@Jaz007 "Not gonna lie, reviews overly short."
Agreed. Such perfunctory reviews are seemingly becoming more common on PushSquare. The first time it only raised an eyebrow from me, but it's clearly becoming a trend now. Will only AAA games get the in-depth review treatment from now on?
Also, regarding your comment about the bullet points, I likewise agree that the "Pros/Cons" section really should be summarizing the content already presented in the review, not supplanting it.
EDIT: Just saw Sammy's comment - it would indeed be a good idea to indicate "mini review" status in the headline, going forward.
Re: Torchlight II - Diablo's One True Contender Finally Comes to PS4
@darklaw Agreed - the headline says "Torchlight II - Diablo's One True Contender Finally Comes to PS4", and then the review itself depicts the game as decent-but-not-great and 7/10.
Also, the review makes no mention of local multiplayer (or rather, from what I'm hearing on the net, the lack thereof).
Re: Guide: Best PS4 Racing Games
@3Stock_Samwise "Hot seat is one of the most brilliant local multiplayer modes I have ever played in a video game, and you don't even need a second controller."
Well, of course. That's what "hot seat" means.
Just a playful jab - I'll see myself out.
(By the way, agreed that Trackmania Turbo deserves a higher position on this list.)
Re: US PlayStation Store Flash Sale Discounts The Division 2, Metro Exodus, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and Much More
@Areus With a flash sale roughly every month (at least in NA region), and all the other sales besides, I'd say yes, yes they do.
Re: Fallout 76 - A Shockingly Bad Attempt at Multiplayer Survival
@Tasuki Understood, I should have known better.
Re: Fallout 76 - A Shockingly Bad Attempt at Multiplayer Survival
@RogerRoger Well said, and fair enough. My wording could have been better, especially the word "personal". I certainly think the many 76-related criticisms aimed at Bethesda, the developer as a whole, are justified though. (Not if aimed at individual cogs in the machine, acknowledged.) While they, as a dev studio, are certainly subject in many ways to the whims of their publisher, I feel they still should take at least some responsibility for the development decisions they made. Sort of like a soldier put in a questionable spot by the orders of his superiors - should he just follow those orders blindly, or should he use his own judgement? Regarding my take on your initial comment, please believe that I'm truly, genuinely concerned that folks saying "just give them a chance to fix it" and the like gives the dev a free pass that they don't deserve. They are delivering a product, and asking gamers to fork out $60 for the privilege of playing said product. Where's the incentive for Bethesda to clean up its act and cease these sorts of shenanigans, if gamers are willing to just complacently take it and proclaim "Thank you, Sir! May I have another?" There needs to be emotion. There needs to be outrage. Small measures will not change a thing. Gaming as a fandom needs to fight these fights, or homogeny, half-measures, and mediocrity will come to define the hobby we love. It starts with little things like the state of 76 at launch, and gamers correspondingly fighting back with the means available to them, that being Twitter, message boards, etc. And of course, voting with their wallet. I will now also concede that passion can go too far even if well-intentioned, as my previous post illustrated, and leave it at that.
Re: Fallout 76 - A Shockingly Bad Attempt at Multiplayer Survival
@RogerRoger Please stop making excuses for this game - the kid gloves truly need to come off here. Any vitriol that Bethesda gets regarding Fallout 76 at this point, whether nasty, personal, or otherwise, is fully earned and justified. They screwed up, big time, and they need to be called out on it. And, what exactly entitles Bethesda to being "given a chance" to fix problems that should not exist in the first place? Bethesda is not some scrappy, small indie team struggling to get their poo together - they are a AAA developer and there are expectations that come with that. Fans of the Fallout franchise really need to take this moment to draw a line in the sand and proclaim "This far! No further!" (Picard-style) regarding the state of 76 at launch. Just because this sort of thing is becoming more common, does not make it ok. What's more, even putting aside the bugs, glitches, and poor performance, 76 just isn't designed well. Bethesda is not too big to fail, and I hope 76 tanks hard sales-wise. As long as it makes Bethesda money, no lessons will be learned, and we can expect more and more of these sorts of games going forward. Reading the post-launch reviews so far, the ratings are universally poor (except for the occasional apologist outlier), and deservedly so.
Re: The Forest – Survival Horror in a Deep Dark Wood
Maybe it's just me, but that was a very perfunctory review. It ended at what felt to me should have been the halfway point. I scrolled down in disbelief thinking "That's it? Where's the rest..?" Even Castlevania Requiem, a re-release of two games that have been around forever, was reviewed in more detail by PushSquare. Oh well - perhaps that's just Rebecca's review style.
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - The Best CoD of the Generation
@LiamCroft: Thanks for clarifying that.
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - The Best CoD of the Generation
@LiamCroft: Ok, good to know. What about this PushSquare article, then? - https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2018/10/call_of_duty_black_ops_4_needs_100gb_minimum_of_your_ps4_hard_drive
Does that apply to the physical edition only? Other than initially pushing out that news, none of the news outlets that I frequent have clarified on that since.
Thanks...
Re: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 - The Best CoD of the Generation
@LiamCroft: Please share with us the current install size on PS4 after updates. I've seen lots of seemingly conflicting info, that it's 100+ GB footprint, or otherwise that only install requires 100+ GB but after that the footprint is actually a more reasonable 55 GB or so. Which is it? Thanks...
Re: Store Update: 9th July 2018 (Europe)
@Bliquid
I'm generally happy with the vast majority of the content on PushSquare, Sammy's contributions included, but that doesn't mean I can't call something out when it doesn't meet the usual standard
The reasons behind my comment are very simple:
1. A long list is best presented in alphabetical order - that is common sense
2. This site exists to present Playstation info to its readers in an easily parsed format
3. It's the PushSquare team's job (as in, they get paid) to accomplish #2 above
4. Appreciation is earned, not granted by default
5. Criticism is justified when there is an actual issue
Re: Store Update: 9th July 2018 (Europe)
I guess it was too much trouble for the author to alphabetize that list, eh?
Re: Feature: 5 PS4 Firmware Update 5.00 Features You May Not Have Noticed
@JLPick I've been watching retail DVD movies on my PS4 for some time now - that's not something the update added. Not sure how the update would have magically fixed your playback issues, though.
Re: Feature: 5 PS4 Firmware Update 5.00 Features You May Not Have Noticed
@get2sammyb Agreed with so many of the commenters here. A transcipt included for those that can't/won't watch the vid would be nice. I can read that in maybe a minute, vs 4 minutes to watch the vid.
Re: Review: Cars 3: Driven to Win (PS4)
@Quintumply
"Unfortunately, unless you know the track, you can’t really tell which stunt it wants you to do until you’re practically on top of it."
Why is this worth mentioning, when learning the tracks is part of any racing game? Hm?
Re: Site News: Welcome to the New Push Square
It would be nice if the main body text could automatically re-flow for narrow browser windows - I generally keep my browser window on my vertical monitor, 900x1440, for example. After the site redesign, I now have to change my browser (Chrome) zoom to 90% in order for the main body text not to be truncated on the right side. Probably not a mainstream use case, I'll admit.
Re: Review: 2064: Read Only Memories (PS4)
"Clearly someone isn't pleased with Hayden's ambitions, as he's soon kidnapped. His creation, Turing, contacts you and convinces you to help find Hayden and bring him to justice."
Um, shouldn't it be the kidnappers that are brought to justice?
Re: Push Scare: The Thing About PS2 Horror The Thing
I saw The Thing back in '82, when I was maybe 10-11 years old. Seeing that alien-infested dog split open at the mouth like a banana is a something I'll never forget. The severed-head-with-legs is iconic as well. Childhood trauma aside, this is a great movie and far, far beyond the recent remake.
Re: Review: Rez Infinite (PS4)
Um, "dozens of platforms"..? Hardly. Rez has appeared on exactly 4 platforms: Dreamcast, PS2, Xbox 360, and now PS4. So, short of even 1 dozen, let alone dozens.