Comments 1,674

Re: PS5 Fans Give Bungie's Marathon the Cold Shoulder, 34% Say You'd Have to Pay Them to Play

MFTWrecks

The only thing that has me worried is the meta progression. I love the idea of an extraction shooter, but the brutal nature of not retaining ANYTHING when you fail is probably a huge part of why the genre has remained extremely niche.

I would have thought that, seeing that, and knowing how important player retention is, that Bungie would have done something to address that. Simply putting a colorful sci-fi coat of paint on a brutal gameplay loop is not necessarily how you grow a huge audience and push into untapped markets. It's like they're relying solely on their name/pedigree which... isn't as rosy as they probably think. What brings this game down may be the combined hubris of Bungie and Sony.

I would LOVE to see there be some sort of meta progression added, whether its a fraction of XP brought back to push some numbers higher or SOMETHING to make up for what will inevitably feel - to some - like an unfair or unforgiving round. No one truly likes wasting their time playing a game. If these matches truly result in next to nothing that pushes your account/character forward, than it means most players in-match will walk away frustrated. And there's a very small number of people who are okay with that long term. It'll be interesting to see how it FEELS to come close but fail, and whether they try and address that aspect of the game at all.

Re: Sony Won't Force PSN on Xbox, PC Players of Marathon

MFTWrecks

@Boxmonkey Same happened to me when I tried playing the one Warhammer arpg. I immediately uninstalled it. Never played a second of it.

It makes sense functionally when you are unlocking a feature like cross-save (like this will do in Marathon or that you see in Fortnite and many cross-atform shooters). But when a game functionally does not allow you to play AT ALL without creating a whole other account? F that noise.

Maybe Ubisoft didn't get ***** on because you could skip it and still play?

Re: Analyst Firm Predicts Some Pretty Unimpressive Sales Numbers for Xbox Ports on PS5

MFTWrecks

I mean, these weren't exactly heavy hitting franchises in today's day and age. It ALWAYS baffled me why these particular titles were chosen as the titles for Microsoft's proof of strategy. What did they expect? Did they think PS5 players were chomping at the bit for Penitent? (Was anyone, statistically speaking?)

You want to push units, then give PS gamers stuff they truly hunger for, the stuff that says, "Oh, wow. Xbox is taking this seriously." Give gamers Halo, Gears of War, and Forza. Those are the big IPs. Period.

If all they hand over are the titles Microsoft themselves don't put huge support behind, then why would PS gamers think they're getting anything of value?

You can vote with your wallet, surely, but you have to understand there were never many gamers in the market willing to open their wallet for these particular titles to begin with. It's like if Sony did this and the first games they ported were Patapon and The Order. It's a tepid release lineup and anyone saying otherwise is fooling themselves. A game can be critically well-received and still not have a place in the market. That's reality. Until we see Master Chief and Marcus Fenix on the PS Store, this will be half-assed/lackluster at best.

The fact they're releasing years-old titles at full price is another huge factor that they're not getting enough flack for.

Re: Plants vs. Zombies Is Seemingly Making a Comeback on PS5 in Reloaded Project

MFTWrecks

@nomither6 I stand by the fact that the gamelay of that series, had it been tied to something like military or scifi, would have proven massively more popular. It was so so SO tight and satisfying. But players saw the PvZ skin and wrote it off.

You take that moment to moment gameplay, the classes, the shooter feel and slap a different coat of paint on it and you'd have a perennial heavy hitter in the TPS space.

Re: Another PS5 Live Service Title Does a Concord, Game and Dev to Close Two Weeks After PS5 Launch

MFTWrecks

I must be the odd man out here, because did I not only hear of this game, I downloaded and played it.

The art style always intrigued me so I kept an eye on it. When it dropped, I was excited and gave it a few rounds. Even got a friend to try it.

The issue was it just wasn't very good. It was a CS clone decades too late. What it brought to the genre was basically what I'd call a tangible in-game second life by way of the little clone/disc thing you could toss around. That was it. It did nothing else.

And the game wasn't well designed for that critical gameplay element. They severely limited where your little disc thing could place your spectre (or whatever they called it). You couldn't put it on walls or weird places to create the sort of dynamic scenarios and matches you'd need to stand out and have "oh *****" moments that created positive word of mouth and, most importantly, a fun time.

It was as basic as you could imagine. You'd just stash your little extra life in a corner until you died or wanted to change where you were on the map. It wasn't cool. It was meh.

But... BUT! You certainly could buy extremely over-priced skins! There was a battlepass! And premium currency aplenty! It was VERY clearly a cash grab first and foremost.

THAT'S the problem with GaaS. They aren't good GAMES first. They are, above all else, designed as pipelines from the dev to a player's wallet. Then they slap a game over top that is almost always not remotely unique nor better than half a dozen games you've played before.

GaaS simply don't stand out right now. Fun multiplayer games can make it. But they need to be cohesive, fun, unique and well made. A lot of these failed GaaS titles fail that sniff test and players can tell.

People don't want a Fortnite clone when Fortnite exists. They don't want a CS clone when CS exists. They need something that makes them go, "Wow, that looks fun." They don't want, "Wow, that skin is only $20."

There's some nuance to be had regarding certain failures, but that's usually the biggest issue that goes unsaid.

Re: No Rest for the Wicked Remains Stunning in Extended Gameplay Update

MFTWrecks

I can't wait for this. I've had my eye on it since its first reveal. I've been tempted by the PC release since it released, but I don't like getting tired of a game before it's even at its best. EA just isn't for me.

Makes me feel like a little kid at the window of a candy store, though... I see the goodies and other people enjoying them, but I'm not allowed in the store. Lol

Re: Respawn Entertainment Cancels Mysterious FPS Game

MFTWrecks

One of the elements of Titanfall multiplayer that I adored that doesn't get a lot of attention is how it made you feel a part of a bigger conflict by integrating NPC combatants into the battlefield. I wish more shooters did that.

My dream game would be something like Battleborn (I know!), but made by a team like Respawn who had slightly better shooting and movement mechanics. I think they'd rock the hell out of an FPS MOBA, which some of TF's modes felt somewhat akin to.

Have players in a heated battle, real and AI combatants all over, pushing back and forth, capturing objectives (of various degrees)... then once a certain power level was reached, they could call in big game-changing elements like vehicles or Titans.

In-match, players would accrue upgrades unto themselves and their team that could shift the tides back and forth. Really recreate that sense of a skirmish on the front lines being fought tooth and nail.

It'd be like a MOBA mixed with a roguelike mixed with an FPS or something... I dunno. Dream game right there.

Re: Cancelled Twisted Metal PS5 Game Sounds Exactly As Expected

MFTWrecks

@pyrrhic_victory Great game! One of my favorite open world titles. (And honestly one they could easily try and emulate with a "modern" TM if they didn't go the BR/MP-only GaaS route.)

I think tying the player account to a vehicle/chassis they keep updating over time would be a really great way to retain an audience. Let players build a connection to their specific vehicle and handcraft a killing machine that could stand proudly alongside the likes of Sweet Tooth and Grasshopper and Axel and everyone.

Part of TM's design genius (to me) was you could basically always see who you were about to get in a fight with. The characters had pretty distinct profiles you could read, despite the chaos of the match.

Try and recreate that for players and their personal vehicles. It'd be amazing to have top players build distinct machines that, if you encountered them in-match, you could instantly recognize. Shooting for THAT would be super cool and engaging.

Re: Cancelled Twisted Metal PS5 Game Sounds Exactly As Expected

MFTWrecks

People do not want a Twisted Metal where you get out of your car. The car is the ENTIRE "character" people care about.

What's sad is, a TM BR (as others have noted) could ABSOLUTELY have worked! There is a HUGE market for vehicle-based live service titles (see: World of Tanks).

They could have done some cool stuff with the BR formula by setting it within a destructible game world made to be driven around at high speeds.

Think...

Every player gets a generic starter car/chassis. Sedan, pickup, motorcycle, semi, SUV, minivan, etc. This is like the "skin" you drop into a BR match with. It's what you start the match looking like.

When you begin your account, that chassis will be rust and bolts.

You drop in just like Fortnite/PUBG by driving out the back of a plane F&F (or Dumbo Drop lol) style so you can pick your landing spot. The map is littered with towns and cities and POIs reminiscent of classic TM maps, connected by highways, rivers, mountains, etc. Think of a Warzone or GTA-sized map.

The map is WHOLLY DESTRUCTIBLE. With enough firepower you can destroy damn near everything. You could lay waste to cities, raze forests, the works (this would be like what they tried with the PS3-era TM).

You gather weapons that get bolted onto your car like classic TM. Except, like a modern BR, you have a 4-5 weapon "kit" you and weapons have rarities.

Around the map would be boss NPC cars... the classic TM cars we know and love. Like a Marvel season in Fortnite where completing killing Dr. Doom allows you to become Dr. Doom (or whomever), in TM, you'd BECOME that character for the remainder of your time in-match. Otherwise, that boss character would join the fray and interact with the rest of the match like any other player-driven vehicle. So if not taken out, they'd come hunting the players like The Butcher in Diablo 4. You hunt them down, or they hunt you down. Choice is yours.

Have in-game proximity-driven CB radio (aka voice chat) that lets players talk, or fire off voice lines and quips to each other. Funny phrases and sayings that would let you trash talk in case you don't want to ACTUALLY do any chatting.

The last human-driven vehicle left standing "wins," but if it ends up human vs AI/boss and the human loses, it's not a "full" win. Getting a "full" win nets you more XP or currency or whatever, while a "partial win" (the human lost to an AI/boss) nets less. Track the difference in the stats. Bragging rights would be getting the "full" win, like a "crown victory" in Fortnite.

As players play matches, they accrue currency (nuts and bolts or scrap) to unlock bumpers, doors, hoods, paint jobs, rims, etc. to customize their chassis. This collection of options (add items every season to fit the season) with a real cash store - the Black Market (nod to TM: Black, anyone?). The BM offers "premium" items/collections of items like nicer paint jobs/textures - candy paint anyone? - unique chassis items.

The core loop being: play huge, bombastic TM-meets-BR matches and then go back to your garage and create a unique vehicle that stands beside the TM characters. Have account levels/goals net you spots in your garage so you have additional vehicles/chassis at your disposal to take into battle akin to a loadout in COD.

Battle Pass items include additional cosmetics, weapon effects (like different color missile contrails and boost animations), songs for your radio, voice lines for your "driver", etc.

Boom. Banger.

Re: PS Plus Essential PS5, PS4 Games for March 2025 Announced

MFTWrecks

How does this even benefit them at this point? All it will do is cast a further pale on the game and Bioware by way of the negative press/sentiment that will be associated with this move.

The game has no mtx (not a complaint) nor DLC. Giving it away will not in any way generate revenue besides the upfront $$ Sony is giving them. To settle for that is a sign the tail on the sales have dropped off a cliff and this is EA throwing in the towel.l full stop.

I'll be surprised if Bioware survives long enough to release ME 4. This is wild.

This speaks volumes about EA's meddling and strategy over the past decade+. They played their hand and they lost/eroded customer support HARD. Now they are reaping what they sowed. Sadly, this will cost many talented people their jobs and impact a lot of families while the suits suck up fat bonuses.

Re: Cancelled Wonder Woman PS5 Game Was 'Gorgeous and Expansive'

MFTWrecks

The Nemesis system is the coolest gameplay enhancement in videogames over the past 2, maybe 3 generations. The fact WB patented it and then not let anyone use it is borderline criminal. The fact they shuttered the studio who created it and now we will almost certainly NEVER see it appear in another game ever? Fire the suits into the sun.

Re: Flying Heroes Are Menacing Their Landbound Marvel Rivals

MFTWrecks

@somnambulance Teamwork would be improved if Netease fully embraced the teamwork/team-up dynamics and didn't make them so limited.

Why do only very certain land-based characters get the ability to use Punisher's rope line? Why don't the Guardians characters ALL synergize with every other member? Why don't all projectile characters get some sort of offensive rebound-like attack when shooting their Cap's shield? Why does Cloak & Dagger's invisibility only work on like 2 characters? Why don't all tanks (and Magneto) have the ability to fastball special Wolverine? Why don't mutants all get some sort of "better together" or "X-gene" buff when working together? Why, as Punisher or Winter Soldier, can I not deploy/initiate my own infinite ammo reserve when working with Rocket, instead of relying on Rocket to decide when I need the boost?

If they made more characters synergize with each other, you'd have more opportunities for a variety of gameplay systems to link up. You wouldn't feel nearly as kneecapped when your team doesn't commit to what is currently an optimized roster and the other team goes full meta.

I love the game. I really do. But it baffles me how they have chosen to limit the character interactions so severely.

Re: Dune: Awakening Has a Release Date, PS5 Fated to Follow Soon After

MFTWrecks

While watching the movies, I said to myself, "I would love to play a game set in this world." It was SO visually arresting to me.

I've never been a huge fan of survival games, however, so I am extremely hesitant to get too hyped for this. Seeing gameplay, though, gave me some distinct Mass Effect vibes. And previews were saying a lot of the mundanity of the traditional survival gameplay loop has been buffed out or removed.

I'm hoping it hits the sweet spot where I can really get into it. I think it looks amazing.

Re: The GTA 6 2025 Release Window May Have Just Gotten Smaller

MFTWrecks

@Frmknst What rock do you live under? The series sells in the tens of millions. It has 3 mainline entries (with this 4th looming), a prequel, 2 spin offs, and it earned a Hollywood adaptation.

You can argue the quality of all of the above. But to deny the IP is strong and tends to sell better than most titles is willful ignorance.

Re: 1,500 PS5, PS4 Games Discounted in Latest Huge PS Store Sale

MFTWrecks

@Thatguyoverthere I hated it. I played about 2 hours before abandoning it.

It's too hard to disconnect it from the Arkham games. It looks and feels like it WANTS to be an Arkham game, but it's just worse.

Thing that broke me: there's no jump button. The combat and basic movement at the beginning felt SO off to me and then it dawned on me that I wasn't able to jump and evade and move about like my brain thought I should be able to.

Nothing in that introductory period (again, I only made it about 2 hours) screamed "this is going to improve drastically."

Mind you, I got it through PS+, so I wasn't even wasting money on it, simply time. Wasn't worth it.