MFTWrecks

@Rich33 Uh... yeah. But that's not my point.

If they are going to cover performance as a topic in a review, the game should be assessed and the information should be relayed to the reader for both hardware standards.

If they are going to only cover one, then they should use the base level hardware because that is what the majority of readers will have at home and it is easy for those that need it to go elsewhere to find the detailed information regarding their niche (market penetration-wise) hardware.

Ideally, they would assess performance on both, to be clear.

@Th3solution Don't get me wrong, I think Joel lying in those situations is ABSOLUTELY self serving. But he is doing it, in his mind, to shoulder that burden instead of lay it upon the other person's shoulders.

It's why it's such a tragic character flaw. You can see why he does it here, why he did it to/for Ellie, but in the end it costs him his life. It's simple to imagine doing the same thing for someone you know. You fudge the truth because a "littler white lie" won't hurt them, but in the end it's that exact thing that costs him his life (let alone the lives of anyone who could have been saved had the Fireflies succeeded with the cure). It's the crux of his character.

@ChrisDeku That's great to hear, in all honesty I'm a sucker for metaprogression.

And no offense, but you don't need to speak down to me. I completely understand the game mechanic of an inventory/vault in extraction shooters. I have played them before. I know full well what they're based around and I was using the phrase "lose everything" to implicitly refer to "what's on your person" because I thought we were speaking the same language.

Don't take ***** like that so literally because you assume the person you're talking to is an idiot. I thought, given the context of discussing extraction shooters, that I didn't need to be so specific.

I hopped in after the last update with weapon customization and it felt better than ever. I can't wait to try these new missions on Super Earth.

I'm not sure I've paid $80 for the entire series, and I've played all 3 main line entries, both spin-offs, and the probably 90% of the DLC. Guess I'm not a real fan to Randy. He can ***** right off, as far as I'm concerned. Guess consumers that wait for inevitable GOTY edition sales aren't good enough fans. Wait until he learns it's a lot easier to not buy a game at all than it is to find $80 to pay for his *****.

You're doing a disservice to the community by only addressing performance on the Pro level hardware.

I hope this doesn't become the norm for PushSquare or else I'll have to start looking fo opinions elsewhere, as that data point means nothing to me (nor the vast majority of PS5 owners).

@Th3solution If you didn't understand that Joel was trying to do right by Gail and give her a good last memory of her husband instead of the truth in order to give her sollace amidst the pile of ***** surrounding the entire situation, then I don't know what to tell you.

Joel was very clearly lying in order to serve what he saw as a greater good (bend the truth so Gail can sleep better sort of thing). It's the exact same thing he did, though at a smaller scale/with lower stakes, regarding Ellie and the Fireflies. How can you say that'd be out of character for him?? Him lying to do right by someone is literally the biggest defining part of the character.

It was Ellie being an immature ***** in that moment who overstepped in the name of the truth. It directly echoes her drive to get the truth out of Joel regarding the hospital, consequences be damned.

It was their entire relationship in a nutshell. I thought that part was pretty brilliantly showing that.

@ChrisDeku Making the maps smaller is in no way innovative, imo. It's just scaling down each match in scope. You wouldn't call GTA6 innovative if its map was half the size (or smaller) than 5's. You'd just be upset there's less there. (Maybe not you specifically, but many people.)

Introducing hero shooter elements when the market hasn't reacted well to those designs as of late (outside of Marvel Rivals) is also a choice, but not one I'd define as outright innovation. "Heroes," after all, are just character classes by a different name. Been done to death at this point.

Also, you chose the word "innovation." I'm not necessarily saying what Arc Raiders is doing is any more innovative than Marathon, but it cannot be argued Marathon is more forgiving than Arc Raiders. I think that's the biggest place people are looking for distinction between the old and new in extraction shooters and Marathon is poised to be quite unforgiving.

Again, if classic extraction shooters are "rogue like" in nature, where you lose basically all your progress in a failed run, then Marathon still falls squarely in that camp. Maybe there's some banking of items on a successful run, but a failure is outright failure in all senses. That grates on people's nerves.

Arc Raiders is more "rogue lite" whereby even in failure there is some meta progression (by way of your xp and some systems in-base to help you inch forward). I think that's goes a long way to making people feel better about risking another run: they know they may lose gear but they can still inch forward.

That risk/reward may be the bread and butter of the genre to its fans, but it's also usually the part that makes people bounce off them. The fact Marathon isn't trying to change that is what baffles me. I really don't think "flashy graphics" (let alone polarizing ones such as they are) will be what's needed to change perception of the genre's unforgiving nature which is, when all is said and done, the biggest hurdle that Marathon faces.

@Lysterao I thought Eternal was far too chaotic for its own good. I think I got halfway through before I abandoned it. It wasn't nearly as fun and focused to me as 2016 was. It completely lost the plot, design-wise, and simply became far too hectic.

@get2sammyb What's wild is that extraction shooters are popular, yet remain a VERY specific niche (they're like the rogue likes of PvPvE shooters in a way, a niche within a niche). Bungie probably saw this as an opportunity to make them mainstream, especially on consoles where they don't have a strong foothold, but decided to not innovate on the formula or make it ANY more accessible than others in the genre. That is a TRULY baffling design decision when you think about it.

If extraction shooters as-designed are not built to be more forgiving, then it's probably a huge part of why they remain so niche, even on PC. (General audiences do not love the idea of gambling away their hard fought spoils of war or wasting their time to get nothing in return after dedicating time and effort to a title. Shocker.)

Meanwhile, Arc Raiders swoops in with tangible improvements to the formula that - gasp - make it all more palatable for more casual players and lo and behold, it's getting a lot of positive buzz. (Arc Raiders seems like a rogue lite compared to others' rogue like set ups - an important nuance.)

It's like... who thought copy pasting the existing formula was EVER going to be enough to make the genre more mainstream? CLEARLY something had to be tweaked to make it accessible and enjoyable. It seems Bungie was not keyed into that whatsoever, which boggles my mind. How do you greenlight such a project for untold millions and not see the inherent flaw in that vision?

I loved Doom but hated Eternal. All I heard was that Dark Ages was "different" than them both. That did not translate to me understanding whether I would enjoy my time with it or not, so I certainly was not going to drop $70 on it.

@FinneasGH The communities that had access to both recent alphas were ABSOLUTELY praising Arc Raiders as the superior title, almost universally.

Marathon's alpha revealed a lot of the general game design concerns are valid (such as the size of the game world and the progression systems). Meanwhile, players basically had nothing but nice, exciting things to say about Arc Raiders. It was a big surprise to everyone who played it (myself included).

Just because you yourself are not tuned into the broader buzz around these titles and only rely on sources like PushSquare doesn't mean you are remotely close to being in the know (and PS itself may not be, either, which I'm sure they'd admit).

The communities springing up around these titles are currently far more excited about Arc Raiders.

If Sony wants to make good live service games, which at has every right to despite what people say, then they need to be creating interesting games in that space. They shouldn't be chasing trends. They shouldn't be slapping IP on basic mechanics and ideas. Or at least put an IP on a concept where it makes sense (like TLOU would have).

Where is there extraction shooter? Where is their racing game? Where is their concept we don't even have a name for?

They keep trying to make competitors to the big boys. They should stop and come up with original ideas that play in new spaces so that fans want to play the titles first and foremost. That's why they're simply seen as chasing trends. Nothing besides Helldivers has been truly original, which is not going to set them apart enough to pull players from the existing heavy hitters.

MAG as a giant large-scale FPS with a meta war game/front element.

A Killzone extraction shooter where you have to dip behind enemy lines and escape. (This concept could also work for SOCOM, honestly. Doing it alongside a squad would be awesome.)

Twisted Metal as a car combat battle royale.

TLOU Factions.

Hell, any of Media Molecule's games where they end up creating platforms - if marketed properly - could be huge "platform" hits like Roblox if Sony had the vision for it.

Instead they greenlit a God of War live service game and Concord. Like... how did they ever think people wanted that stuff?

Some people have a blanket hate for live service games. That's fine. The only way you'll win them over is making a game they want to play first and foremost. Sony has been failing at THAT worse than anything else. They deserve all the criticism they receive for that blunder, not chasing the golden goose.

"Unfathomable marketing spend" and yet I never knew the game existed until the Ronaldo DLC kerfuffle. And I'm a gamer that's pretty tuned in.

As long as they use a new engine.

Only reason I wanted Sony to acquire them was to see what they'd make using an engine like Decima or something.

@VanguardKaiser I like the cut of your gib.

But truth! Breakpoint suuuuuucked. Just give us a co-op shooter in a big open world again. Fix the issues the recent titles suffer from (like janky/broken squad members and lack of tactical options). Lean more toward MGSV's design and away from online looter shooter nonsense, leave that to the Divison IP.

Put more walls up between the titles/IP. Ubisoft games need to feel more distinct and not be so homogenized.

I tried it. I played for maybe (MAYBE) 2 hours. It was so unfun to me. And I am a fan of looter shooters, TPS games, and super hero fair.

It was aggravatingly dumb and not remotely what a Suicide Squad game should have been.

Bethesda have always made technically awful RPGs. They are beloved DESPITE their enormous CVS receipt lists of bugs and glitches. Don't @ me.

This is why I hate the tendency of gaming press to race to get impressions and reviews out quickly. When the latest overhaul/patch for this dropped, numerous publications dropped articles praising the game for all sorts of positive changes, but those were clearly all made in response to what the devs SAID was happening, not what the community felt or what the game truly felt like. There has been a lot of backlash now and it's clear they missed the mark, but the game probably saw a spike in new players/influx of old ones coming back BECAUSE of those glowing previews so those players are likely doubly pissed and more likely to leave negative reviews because they feel misled.

If gaming press simply waited for the dust to settle on these things and offered ACTUAL coverage of how a game is changing and how its community is reacting to it, all of this would likely be severely reduced in scale because people would have a better sense of what is ACTUALLY going on. I mean, just look at the pre-release previews for things like Diablo 4 seasons. Everything is always praising all the big changes, but it drops and (when it's not a hit) you can IMMEDIATELY tell within the community. So what is the benefit of having an inaccurate preview out early versus having an accurate one out a week or two later? Is it really that important for gaming news to glaze developers?

It makes no sense to me. It's why I often rely on the actual communities surrounding games I like and not any such articles. All it has done is drive me away from the very news sites that need my eyes and clicks, so what good has it served?

@Czar_Khastik It's why I don't buy wedge salads at restaurants. No, I came here so YOU cut it up and mix it together.

Then it looks like I 'might' be exploring waiting for the eventual GOTY edition to be $20.

@PlatinumMikey I know, but as I said, I don't really play games that would really push that all that much, I don't think. AND I'd need an all new TV to see any of it at all (I upgraded to my current TV when I got the 4 Pro, as it so happens). So it's not just the cost (and hassle) of trading/selling the current console, I'd also have to add on the expense of a solid TV that pushes it out of the realm of feasible for me.

It didn't enough to move the needle for me this time around. I got a PS4 Pro when those launched because I felt the leap was higher. This time, not so much.

I've grown jaded with the state of the industry and the simple bells and whistles. I'm not blown away by "just the same but more" iterative sequels companies pump out. So for the games I find myself playing, the base line console is fine.

It didn't help that I'd need an all new TV on top of the cost of the Pro this time around to even see the differences, as my current TV doesn't do 120mhz. Combined, that was too expensive of a pill to swallow. Maybe next time.

I liked Doom's smaller scale and pacing and felt Eternal went overboard on things and was markedly less enjoyable.

With that in mind, where does one think I'd rank Dark Ages?

As may have said before me, Remedy would be a banner PS Studios acquisition. They'd likely help strengthen the portfolio beyond their singular output as long as they were allowed to do as they please.

@Splat If you needed to rely on the map in Control, you weren't paying attention.

Also, in a game about traversing a weird, unknowable, deeply liminal building... where is the fun in relying on the map?

I say this as a designer who hates ***** interfaces. But Control's was, as I interpreted it, an aesthetic choice. It added to the ambiance and feeling of unease prevalent throughout - and key to - the experience.

@Robocod I dunno what gave you the impression D4 can't be played solo. It is 100% solo-able.

@aj21009 Yeah, I already have it on my phone. It's perfect for that format. It's one of those "mobile" games that make me defend them. Some games truly are great for mobile devices and prove it's the game/designer, not the platform that defines what is a "hardcore" game.

Balatro is great, but it's very much a "phone" game to me. Not something I'd sit down at my PS5 to play. But obviously, it's a great game for those that haven't gotten it yet.

I'm personally able to take Boltgun off my buy list now, so it's still a great month to me

@UltimateOtaku91 Which, again, is not a release date.

@PlatinumMikey A year is not a release date.

How can anyone consider it a delay? Rockstar never committed to a release date. The fact news coverage is treating this as a negative when NO ONE had confirmation of a release date before this and NOT a positive that we now got a release date confirmation is really odd to me.

I really like me some Borderlands (I fell out of love due to 3 - but Tiny Tina's was solid af). It's always bothered me that the entire storyline is based around a group of vault hunters - Tiny Tina's even had 2 allies talking to you the whole game as if they were there with you - and yet they've never explored the idea of making it a true squad-based game.

Why have they not crafted a story (and gameplay systems) that fleshed out all the 4 main vault hunters by having them in-game with you at all times? Build out some crew management controls a la Mass Effect or Dragonage and let me move allies around the battlefield and utilize everyone's skills and whatnot. That would be such an incredible change of pace and allow for a much deeper characterization of the player characters.

PLUS, the game is "built for co-op." Okay, that's cool, but not everyone can play with 3 friends at all times. Why not bring that zaniness to all players who want it? (I think retaining the option to play in a "classic" solo mode would be needed.)

THAT'S the biggest change I want to see them bring to the series. It'd completely shake things up for solo players but deliver the experience they're designing the whole game for, anyhow.

Besides that, I think what they showed looks reeeal good. Definitely more interested in this than I thought I'd be.

@AdamNovice Not when I played. It's built around 4-person co-op. As it says in the trailer, "play with bots" just means you're playing levels with AI teammates.

And the "campaign" is just a progression of levels. It's not a real story mode campaign like, say, Call of Duty.

@Blauwe_Chimay It's a mixture of tower defense and shooter (with a light feeling of MOBA to me). You and your teammates plop defense down and fight off waves of other toys. But the core mechanics were really ill-conceived imo and it resulted in a ton of frustrating games that just weren't fun.

I've had this on Switch since it came out and while it's a competent shooter, it's simply a really awful tower defense game. The mechanics just don't lend themselves to a fun time.

Maybe it's been improved since I last played, but there were core flaws in its design that made it really difficult to enjoy as a MOBA/tower defense/shooter fan. I figured it was right up my alley (love the aesthetic and general idea!) but it fell short in basically every regard.

One of my proudest platinums, for sure. Incredible game.

This looks like it was made for me and me alone. I am so excited for it.

I really wish Respawn would be allowed to push the envelope with Titanfall. Apex Legends just isn't it, imo.

The TF2 multiplayer was SO GOOD at making you feel like a small piece of a large scale conflict. Why are they not exploring more of that in the multiplayer space?

I honestly think something like a Titanfall: Warfare or something where the matches played almost akin to a MOBA (think Battleborn with mechs) or Battlefield's Rush mode would be BONKERS cool. You'd have the tight grunt skirmishes on the ground, building up to all out mania when Titans started being called in, at which point the battles would shift to mech on mech bananzas. Make it all about the push and pull of the battle over large spaces and... my goodness. I'd never play another shooter.

Looked more like a trailer for an anime than a game. Maybe they should try showing some game in their, uh, game trailer.

@Ward_ting I mean, I have never enjoyed a turn-based game whatsoever. I'm not sure "slightly more active turn-based" is worth it to me.

I wish, but I have never enjoyed turn-based games.

@B0udoir No, and defending the game with your anecdotal experience doesn't change the fact it's glitchy as hell on PS5 and has been for a while. There are loads of people who had issues with the cutscenes as I describe amongst other issues.

Sadly, it's not well optimized for the platform and if the dev can't support its game, it's not worth me supporting them imo. Not my problem nor yours.

@Lowdefal I can't forgive that stuff. It's every cutscene, every camera transition... Dropped frames, asset loading weirdness, etc. It's annoying and rips me out of things, especially since the game has so much dialog and mini cutscenes to go through. It's hard to ignore when nearly half the game literally highlights the least stable part of the package.

Actively playing it and it is a slog with all the visual glitches on PS5. Which sucks cause it's decent fun but all the glitches add up to a really subpar experience.

Between BG3 and this, I really wish I liked turn-based games.

@GoatFace04 It definitely didn't help that they didn't optimize the controls for controllers are launch and ended up with arguably the worst-feeling shooter ever designed. They shot themselves in the foot so hard with that game.

So was this show complete crap? I see literally no outlet posting any of the reveals. Must not have been good.

@Deadlyblack What's wild is that they sort of created the extraction shooter idea with Division's Dark Zone, if you think about it. And they have competent (if not great) multiplayer experiences in some of their shooters (like Ghost Recon), but instead of doing anything interesting and ahead of the curve, they waste millions of dollars and man loads of man hours just to show up late to the party.

They could have made a Division BR ages ago. Make it about regular people traversing an area and collecting loot and taking down NPCs for special "Division" tier gear. Matches would play out with great shooting and cover mechanics, and awesome sci-fi gear. It'd be like a BR with super powers, more or less. Plus, The Division's general TPS mechanics are some of the best in the business (if not the outright best), and the engine is pretty great.

They could have done something interesting in that space but they completely lack creative vision.

One of the most enjoyable things about BR games imo is that everyone is on an even playing field and that loot is randomized. I never once got truly deep into a BR game with hero shooter mechanics because of how awful they are at balance.

I think Apex got carried by the feel that Respawn brings to FPS games. They overcame the busted nature of hero balance, but only for so long.

It would be EXTREMELY on-brand for Ubisoft to be so damn late to the genre, though. Instead of creating ANYTHING new and exciting, they'll just copy someone else's homework, but do it worse and behind schedule.

And they wonder why they're failing so damn hard right now.