Metonymy

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…

I’m really curious to see where this ends up. Tsushima is so good because its systems are so deeply informed by its narrative; a coming of age tale about a man forced to choose between the rigid morality of deontology and the fluidity of utilitarianism. Every hot spring rested at, poem written and person interacted with allows the player to evaluate the cost of that inevitable decision. The surreal, wild and unknown beauty of the island reflects this and stands in stark contrast to the comfort, security and safety of the status quo that Jin has benefited greatly from.

I’m skeptical of taking that blueprint and simply slapping a revenge fable overtop of it. I’ll be playing it soon, and I’m hoping Sucker Punch have made the adjustments and added the flourishes needed to make this tale sing.

Huge milestone and an incredible legacy. Cannot wait to see what Intergalactic is all about.

Everything has its pros and cons. I’m content with the balance of my decision to purchase games physically.

RDR2 at the cost of a Trevor DLC feels like a lottery win. Not a small one, either.

I have the demo of this downloaded. Really need to give it a try!

@Fiendish-Beaver If not for Clair Obscur, Cronos would be my game of the year as well. A real shame it will likely go unnoticed in the awards season.

Looks to be an incredibly competitive year for game awards. I’ve actually managed to play a good chunk of these but likely only have enough time to fit one more in before the end of the year. Gotta choose between Indiana Jones or Ghost of Yotei…For now though, Clair Obscur gets my vote.

First I’ve heard of it but sounds like something I could really get into.

Hard to hold an opinion with so few details. I hope the consequences, in whatever form, serve as a sobering reminder to the offender of the far reaching destructive force of abhorrent behaviour. I hope the victims find healing as they carry this with them for the rest of their lives.

Just about finished the New Game+ hard mode run on my way to the platinum for Cronos but realized last night that I messed up my essences earlier so I’ll have to replay a section of the game I wasn’t planning on. Good thing it’s awesome 😄 Happy gaming!

@BlAcK_Sw0rDsMaN Thanks! Looks like it could good. I’ll keep an eye on it for sure.

I’ve yet to play it so I have no opinion but it’s on the ever growing gaming to do list. 😆

I guess it depends but I do try to play something spooky for October. This year in particular, it’s been nothing but horror for the month. It’s a good time to be a horror fan!

@Vermines Just what I was hoping to hear, thanks! Hopefully Outer Worlds 2 lives up to the first for you.

@Vermines How has Tormented Souls 2 been? I quite liked the first one.

AI has its place. Good people just need to keep it there.

@StitchJones For some reason the slow, plodding pace is really doing it for me right now and the sound design is exceptional! I’m so excited to start Yotei.

I’m really enjoying Cronos: The New Dawn. It’s extremely good survival horror. Also making progress in Hollow Knight: Silksong. Happy gaming!

I’d like to see George Miller and John Seale (or more likely Simon Duggan) take this on. I think it’d be a great fit.

Couldn’t be more thrilled for the renewed viability of Silent Hill. It’s a bit of an enigma: offbeat yet still within the mainstream; the best of both worlds. Hope it doesn’t lose its footing again.

Can’t wait to play it. It has the potential to be an all-timer for me.

Continuing on with my second play through of the stirring Silent Hill f along with inching my way through the very challenging Hollow Knight: Silksong. Happy gaming and happy Thanksgiving to any fellow Canadians!

@Th3solution They definitely take Sword of the Sea about as far as they can, at least to justify a 2-3 hour experience but within that limited time I had so many ‘This is why I play games’ moments squeezed in, it’s hard to decry it’s length. It’s arguably their most polished game to date but for me, The Pathless is their largest and most well rounded game. There’s a great story, loads of clever puzzles, a unique and fun traversal system, epic boss fights, a striking visual style and a simply incredible soundtrack. In the way that Journey and Abzu led up to The Pathless, I’m hoping Sword of the Sea is a taste of something more substantial to come. I really want to hop off the sword and swing it at something! 😄

@Th3solution What really made an impression on me in Sword of the Sea is just how different the Sword, Dolphin and Shark feel from each other without losing the simplicity at the heart of the games design.

Whatever secures Giant Squids long term viability, I’m good with. One of my favourite developers and Sword of the Sea is undoubtedly one of the best games I’ve played this year.

I can’t see this acquisition as anything other than a panic purchase during a particularly lavish Microsoft spending spree.

Ghost of Tsushima’s design is so thematically and conceptually unified, one of my favourite aspects of it is just how easy it is to embody the character of Jin by simply existing in its world. I’m so pumped to play this.

There’s some cool shots in here but it’s hard to get a sense of exactly what this is.

Making your budget work for you is doubly important in independent filmmaking. If you can’t effectively replicate that ultra-high fidelity super clean Marvel look that costs industry professionals 100’s of millions of dollars to achieve, why bother striving for that look? It’s worth embracing your budget as part of your film’s identity rather than struggling against it at the cost of execution. There’s definitely grey area here but sometimes it’s just obvious how far apart budget and vision are landing.

Everything doesn’t need to be for everybody. Thats ridiculous. Ultimately, I’m all for artistic integrity: the creators of a game should design their game in the way that fulfills their creative vision.

This message of competition keeping prices down seems to be lost on the X-Box division. Perhaps they can’t hear it over Mr. Koticks’s laughter.

All of this Yotei talk sure is tempting (I’m glad to hear mostly everyone seems to be enjoying it) but I’ve committed to wrapping up some of my backlog before diving in so I’m continuing on with Silent Hill f and Hollow Knight: Silksong. One I have to finish a few times and one I might not be able to finish at all 😅 Cronos is on deck next! Happy gaming!