Metonymy

Fully utilizing an enemies’ design to inform its move set is something I feel Nioh has always done well but it’s nice to see the team continue to derive inspiration from the best of the genre. Still need to get to the LoP DLC!

I’ll be traversing through history as part samurai, part ninja, 100% scampuss lover. Happy gaming!

@graymamba Fair enough! Looks like it’s shaping up beautifully for when you get to it.

@graymamba This one of the rare ones to jump the backlog then? 😄

Glad to hear things don’t go off the rails after the excellent demo. I wasn’t sure where they could take this series after the heights of Nioh 2 but it sounds like they've managed to keep things fresh without losing what makes it Nioh.

Nioh 3 demo for me, and it’s great. Happy gaming!

Downloading now!

Edit: Not working for some reason. The wrong playable period parameters by the looks of it. -Oh, it’s not the 29th here yet 😆

Apparently I’m a bit too excited

Bloober Team has my full attention, I’ll be keeping an eye out for this.

It says a lot that if PS6 were to release next year, I wouldn’t even upgrade. All things considered, a 9-10 year generation feels appropriate to me.

I’m loving the approach to this. Glad to hear it sounds like they’re hitting a healthy balance between the two distinct styles. Can’t wait!

@Hellaween Can’t say exactly how this one will pan out yet but the series is highly technical and quite demanding. Beyond that generalization, there is also a steep learning curve, with many intertwining systems and menus at play. Not trying to scare you off, just know going into it that this is not a casual ‘pick up and play’ series. That said, it’s really amazing if you’re willing to invest. The level of depth on offer is beyond impressive, where you’re almost certain to find a style of play that suits you. Definitely worth giving the forthcoming demo a try to help make up your mind.

Counting down the days now. Just me and my sweet, sweet switchglaive.

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Nice! I’ve never played enough of Fable to have given it a fair shake but it certainly looks interesting. Hopefully you can make your signature build when it releases!

@SuperSilverback Yeah it sure was. And I didn’t realize at the time that beating all of the pre-bosses before the final boss makes him more manageable 😬

I found the final stretch of this game incredibly difficult and wish I’d have used a strategy guide to prepare for it! Nice to bundle one in like this.

I’m hoping they push environmental interaction and destruction to the next level.

Just finished this and thought it was excellent. Think it’s placed the same in my personal top 5. I do wish they went a bit of a different direction with the ending (or at least committed more to the current one) but it was still a great ride.

There’s children throwing snowballs, instead of throwing heads…Merry Christmas!

I loved my time with Death Stranding 2, even if it didn’t break my top 5, which just shows how good of a year it’s been in gaming!

I don’t believe the reality of crunch is properly communicated when the term is treated as interchangeable with overtime.

Crunch is an established pattern of gross mismanagement including unrealistic deadlines, poor communication and exploitative company practices, all of which contribute to a toxic work environment in which employees are over worked, under appreciated and unable to speak up about it.

Most people understand this is a problem but the discussion is better served in long form investigative pieces such as Schreier’s ‘Blood, Sweat and Pixels’, which do a thorough job of highlighting the issues that lead to crunch.

Sword of the Sea is my pick. Silksong is an incredible game that might just be out of my league but I’ll keep chipping away at it when I’m feeling optimistic.

@ThomasHL I think that’s it, actually! The fonts all look a bit similar at a glance 🤷‍♂️

I thought this was a free to play looter shooter of some kind. Not sure how I was so off base in that but I’ll definitely be checking this out.

Really hope this opens the door for more people to give it a try. A truly incredible survival horror game.

A.I. is a tool. A hammer isn’t morally good or bad but one can use a hammer in morally good or bad ways. The entire discussion is far more nuanced than the discourse I’ve been seeing.

This has been a massive hit in our house. It’s wonderfully chaotic and just a joy to play.

Might wrap up Yotei but for sure we’ll be playing loads of Sonic Racing: Crossworlds. Happy gaming!

10-12 hour days are completely normal in my world. Up to 15 (or more) for situations analogous to a deadline. Coming from a farming community, I often wonder if people have any clue about the work that goes into securing their basic necessities. The 18 plus hour days during seeding, calving or harvest… It’s one thing to have a toxic work environment, it’s another to have clearly communicated mandated overtime in order to hit an important shared goal. If you can’t tell the difference, it might be time to find new work.

Quite the feat for a new I.P and I don’t really care how uncool it makes me to say this now but the game is incredible. Congrats to the team.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Cronos: The New Dawn
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Ghost of Yotei
Sword of the Sea

I played originally on the PS4 Pro though I didn’t seem to have as many issues as many others. It was clearly unfinished but by no means unplayable, not unlike my experience with The Witcher 3 at launch. Much like that game, it’s now one of the best experiences on PS5.

I’ll add to the chorus of voices decrying these unfathomably huge acquisitions and consolidations. They are almost always economically unhealthy, ethically dubious, environmentally destructive and socially harmful. Buckle up

@GamingGod Nicely done! Yeah, much like the author, I didn’t really care about trophies at all until Bloodborne sort of broadened my horizons on that front. I think earning a trophy for every boss really hammered it home.

This is a great idea (and quite a funny read). My first platinum was Bloodborne and I’ll never forget it.

Over 35 hours into Ghost of Yotei and finally crossed The Kitsune’s name off of the list, the first since The Snake. Loving my time with it. Happy gaming!

I wouldn’t say Sony has a sequel problem but I find some of their sequels do play it overly safe. I understand why they do and that doesn’t make them bad games by any stretch of the imagination, it just makes them comfort food in a way that lessens their overall impact. This isn’t always the case, however, and when it is, it’s hardly unique to Sony alone.

Huge congrats to the team on an impressive milestone! Bloober delivered a phenomenal survival horror experience with Cronos. A must play for any fans of the genre.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this generation. Sony’s tech has never been better and I’ve never had such a diverse pool of high quality games to choose from. I don’t feel the pull of next-gen at all and would be happy to not hear about it until at least 2028.

@ErrantRob Yeah, the very last pustule in the close quarters bit of the Mother fight gave me some trouble in hard mode for whatever reason. Such a fun fight though. Good luck!

@ErrantRob Cronos is one of the best games of the year but has flown under the radar. Hope you have fun with the platinum, as I did, and that a certain Mother doesn’t give you too much trouble in hard mode 😬

@dark_knightmare2 Fair enough. It’s not the ending specifically that elevates it for me but more so looking at the game holistically.

@Elfuggingjefe For what it’s worth, Expedition 33 is a game I liked but didn’t love until I completed it in its entirety. Only then did it really hit me how special it is.

Very cool. F.I.S.T is awesome. This also has a much better name in my opinion.

Photo mode additions are always welcome. Really wish we could set key, fill and back lights instead of just altering time of day.

Love to see Shinobi get a much deserved nomination. Clair Obscur for top prize, narrative and music (a real shame KCDII didn’t get a nomination for music). KCDII for best RPG. Silent Hill f for best audio design. Ghost of Yotei for best action/adventure. Don’t have a strong enough opinion on the rest.

I think the costuming looks fantastic!

Riding the winds of revenge through the land of Ezo.

Happy gaming!!

Congrats to the team, much deserved!

@Leeg My thoughts exactly. Been a lot of high quality variety this year.

Never voted in the poll but have a few hours with Yotei now. Loving it so far. Honestly, as annoying as it is to have people dismiss Yotei, it’s equally as irritating when people dismiss the opinion of those who prefer Tsushima. An opinion’s an opinion, regardless of how uninformed or wrong you may think it is.

Boycott? I’m so very glad to be disconnected from these types of narratives…