As always, I'll be waiting for a good sales to do any buying, but of all these games, Granblue Fantasy Relink and Dragon's Dogma 2 are the ones I'm the most optimistic about. I'll also keep an eye on Rise of the Ronin and Pacific Drive...
"Too much of what it’s hard to say exactly but basically everything." I'm with you on that statement. And I'd use it to describe a lot of recent games. The main menu screen of games like The Crew Motorfest, Lego 2K drive, Battlefront 2 are so full of elements that it's tiring even before starting the game.
A main menu should be : Continue New Game Load Game Options
That's it... more than this and you've already lost me... Even worse scenario : no main menu, you're injected directly in the game with options and settings to the wazoo in all kind of different menus and windows, like Genshin Impact.
I know, I sound like an old man on his porch, and maybe I am.
I stayed away from news about this game for a long time, and just based on this trailer : I'm not into the design. This faux-low poly design does feel like a cop out : not really retro, but not the high quality expected in 2024. The animations look ok though.
And damn that prince design is bad... Ubisoft really need to relearn how to make likeable characters. The last I can remember was Kassandra from AC Odyssey, and this was more than 5 years ago. (a small honorable mention to Fenyx in Immortals Fenyx Rising though...)
@Llamageddon Fair enough. Ideally, the choice of MC shouldn't have any impact on the kind of humor the devs choose.
But let's be real, there's no way this choice of MC in a game as huge as GTA6, in 2024, won't have a direct impact on what they will decide to include in the game itself. Which is funny in some way, since we are going to have endless debate about whether or not the game's handling of Lucia was "woke" or "offensive", whatever Rockstar chooses to do.
Kotaku's going to write thousand word long essays on why GTA6 is racist, and 4chan is going to be filled with "GTA6 is woke BS" anyway. Whatever is going to actually be in the game will never be enough for the ideologically close-minded on either side, and they will bring us along with them, sadly, as has happened in this comment section.
So, again, we'll see I guess. I'm sure the game itself will be fantastic, and I hope Rockstar manages to use their huge cultural influence to not bend to any extremes, whatever the side.
@ErrantRob Thank you. As a teacher myself, I strive to stay as objective and neutral as I can in my class, whatever my individual opinions (but I admit to letting go when I'm online, sadly that's what social media does to you!).
But while for some subjects, it's very difficult to see both sides as valid, here it should be easy to say that yes, being aware of past and current discriminatory behaviors and trying to change them and the structures allowing them is a good thing, but also yes, the abuse of such a position is easy to envision and observe in today's world, be it in the news media, the political world or entertainment.
So when "woke" people are simply calling for a more egalitarian and open minded society, no issue. But when the same people want to force everyone to agree with them on everything in the name of "equity", it's gone too far.
So a latina as an MC is not an issue, but if it's at the cost of the very harsh and raw satirical humor of previous GTA games, then it is one... We'll see I guess how well Rockstar handles it.
@DennisReynolds But being "woke" is absolutely not what you said. This is the PR marketing BS that politicians sell on TV.
Being "woke" is not just realising there are different people around you, it's also realising the current structures and institutions are causing discrimination and harm towards "marginalized people", and then having the duty of changing said structures and institutions so they are more "inclusive".
And I'm sure you know this well, as we've both been living in the same world for the last 10 years at least. ; )
When people criticize something as being "woke" (notwithstanding the few dum-dums that just don't like women, and they are very few indeed), it's not because it has women or gay characters. Alien was not woke. The Ballad of Gay Tony was not woke. Metroid was not woke, etc, you get the gist.
"Being woke" is deconstructing current narratives, institutions and content to make them fit a new worldview. For example, taking an existing franchise and changing it until it isn't what it was anymore so it seems to be including more character currently deemed "marginalised". This is the main reason there are very few new IPs that can be considered "woke", and most of it is existing IPs being more or less slowly brought to a state that doesn't appeal to anyone anymore.
This is what people are afraid when they see a latina as the main character of GTA6, both the fact it's a woman MC and she's latina are things we've seen too many times in woke and weak attempts to deconstruct franchises that people are afraid Rockstar is doing the same and changing the satirical humor that makes GTA what it is. Personally, I'm not specially afraid, but since we live in 2024, I'm still wary (and would have been even if all the MCs were men).
@mariomaster96 We obviously played the same game, but either we have different tastes, or we were in very different mindsets when we played it.
I'm always surprised at the takes other people have about some games. For example, I've always found the gameplay of the Metal Gear Solid games very poor, and their story obnoxious and pretentious, but clearly others don't see it the same way.
So of course I'm surprised at your takes abour HL. I have been playing open world games since they became a thing, and frankly to me it's one of the good ones. But as I said, opinions differ, and it's a good thing! : )
If you like open-world third person games, it's really good : the story is interesting, the characters are endearing, the world is well made with quite a few surprises, the castle is fantastic and the gameplay is fun without being overbearing.
And I say this without being any kind of Harry Potter fan (I've watched most of the movies once, and that's it). If you're a fan, it's a no brainer.
@jedinite I neved said that! : ) I said I would be coming back to the game again and again to see all the possibilities, and I added I already played the game twice. Of course I haven't seen all the possibilities yet!
@CharlieChooChoo Good question. Here are some suggestions (beware spoilers for SM2) :
1-the location : while it was fun to have more of New-York in it, one can argue it got repetitive at some point. Maybe a story based in two cities, or in two timelines with drastically different New York could have made it more surprising
2-the story : at least one major and real death should have happen at some point, either Peter or Miles, or at least MJ... the passing of the torch from Peter to Miles was handled in such a weird and fake way, killing Peter would have been the less safe but ultimately better way to go
3-the playable characters : everybody was expecting Peter and Miles to be playable but they really had to add Venom as fully playable for the third act, this would have also brought diversity to the gameplay
4-the story structure : while I applaud Insomniacs for how they managed to include so many characters in the same story like in SM1, I don't think "the real villain is only going to get revealed at the end of Act2" is good storytelling, especially when we all know who it's going to be, like in SM1. And at leat in SM1, we saw the villain's origin story, and even participated in it
5-the moral choices : Spider-Man's stories are all about the difficult moral choices between Peter's/Miles' personal life and the responsibility of a superhero. I would have loved to give the player this choice this time : let us choose the end of the game by making a choice, maybe between who is going to live, Peter or Miles, or between letting MJ or Harry die, or, as Miles, saving Peter or his mother... a lot of options, but a choice would have been great to have
I have a lot of other ideas, but for now what do you think about these?
In any other years without heavy hitters like in 2023, Hogwarts Legacy would have easily been top 3 material. It is, imo, as good as SM2 is in what both games are trying to achieve : wonderful world, superb ambiance, good enough story and characters, and very fun gameplay mechanics.
Personally, BG3 is my GOTY : an incredible milestone for gaming that achieves enough to make you forget about the technical issues. I know it's a game I will be coming back again and again (already done 2 playthroughs) to see all the possibilities. This is the kind of experience I got with Dark Souls and Elden Ring : any other game feels less interesting than another run at BG3 right now.
SM2 is a great game for sure. It is everything a safe sequel should be : bigger world, more refined gameplay. But it's too safe : no gameplay mechanic was really game changing (except the gliding), the story, while well constructed, didn't include anything suprising, and the ideologically charged moments and side content made it cringe too often. But still a fantastic game to play and platinum in a few days.
Fine month. I already own A Plague Tale : Requiem, and it's really good. I was interested in trying Evil West and Nobody Saves The World, so pretty good all in all.
WTf?! So repeated sexual or violent offenders get a few years (if even) but a hacker gets life in hospital. Clearly money is more important than lives for the judge.
Also, why in hospital? Is he sick?
Edit : after reading the BBC article, PushSquare's headline and article is pure clickbait. I won't delete my comment and I'll take the hit, but damn, these last months, I've seen a few articles like that here that misrepresented the facts, I hope it won't become the norm...
@DennisReynolds Yeah I'll disagree on this. We're not talking about secret defense here, it's just video game. Unless there is some info relative to the game industry that could show abuse of corporations, or HR issues and so on, there's nothing to gain except clicks here for the gaming outlets.
Most gaming "journalists" are not journalists : they are either shills paid by (or at least financially dependent on) publishers, or just ideologically morons that view themselves too seriously. Investigative gaming journalism done for the benefit of all included in the industry is almost dead today, and publishing the info that leaked does not help.
Now, if an outlet found out by themselves (via hacking or confidential sources) sensitive info about a publisher/developer and then published it, then I would say "ok, that's journalism". Copy-pasting reddit posts of a leak they had nothing to do with... that's just for clicks.
@RicebinBernacky No they shouldn't pretend the info is not out there. They should report on the leak, explain they won't publish any of the info in it unless it is officially confirmed and that's it.
That's what PushSquare has done (as far as I know, and for now, hopefully they'll stick with it), and I don't think it has hurt them (but I'd be glad to have an official confirmation about this).
Principles should be held above greed, don't you think?
"Gaming journalism" today is already 95% corporate marketing done by ideological shills. Such an action would cleanse the industry in a drastic manner that could only be beneficial.
Believe me, Sony really doesn't need these 95% of media outlet to reach most of their customers, and most gamers out there would rejoice in seeing these outlets be forced to change or die.
I really hope Sony will boycott every media outlet that published any content of the leak. Just imagine Eurogamer and Kotaku (and others) not getting any games, demo, invitation, previews, updates and communication from Sony anymore. The gaming world would be so much better for it.
Do the people in marketing and design know how pompous and vacuous their "explanations" sound to normal people?
""The sharp, cutting edges of previous handprints have also been smoothed out, creating more fluid shapes. This reflects our commitment to addressing Frostbite's rougher edges, creating a smoother experience for creators and players."... seriously???
@trymer89 I should give it another try then, maybe I wasn't in a good mindset to appreciate the return to the oldschool gameplay. Thanks for the feedback mate!
Finished my second playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 (an evil Dark Urge one, no less), and now switching between Teardown (since the "invert Y" toggle has finally been added) and Spider-Man (to prepare for SM2, which I plan to play and finish during the holidays!).
I'm in the same boat as you : big fan of the franchise since the first AC on PS3, with my favorites being AC2, Unity and Origins. Odyssey was already getting tiresome for me, and Valhalla was a chore to finish (couldn't bother with the expansions!).
I thought Miracle would be a return to old school AC gameplay... and it is. But sadly, it is also very boring. After close to 6-7 hours of playing it, I just can't see any reason to continue : the characters are clichés and not charismatic, the story is as basic as you can and the city makes you feel you've seen it all with AC1 and Origins already. But maybe I should power through a few hours more, just in case something happen to make the game interesting...
@McBurn Well, look at the headlines. We have "Fortnite Massively Cuts Prices of Criticised Rocket Racing PS5, PS4 Microtransactions" instead of "Fortnite still massively overcharges Rocket Racing microtransactions despite heavy criticism".
It was the same with Mortal Kombat 1, when this site applauded the fact some fatalities were going to be "free" (which wasn't exactly the case) instead of putting in the headlines that "Fatalities Season Pass" was coming.
I get what you say, but sadly I think lowering your prices right now garner enough positive press from media outlets that it has an impact Even if very engaged gamers like us don't bite into it, most average customers will see the headlines and leave it at that.
@McBurn Or their goal was always the current prices, and they used the old tactic of setting too high an initial price just so they can "look good" when they lower it.
@BamBamBaklava89 Same here. I can't pinpoint it, but something felt off. Like the sensation that what we were shown was barely holding on together and would break down the minute the camera looked away... I hope I'm wrong though, it's a game I'd love to see be great.
@Rhaoulos I agree with you, except please don't put Hogwarts Legacy with AC Valhalla! Hogwarts was miles better than ACV in every way, the way its open world was denser and more interesting just one of them (and I say that as a huge fan of the AC franchise since the first game, while being very mildly interested with the Harry Potter franchise...)
@Northern_munkey I'd say the reason they are doing this is simply because they know people have moved on from Skyrim, so the backlash will be relatively minor excepted in the hardcore modding community (and even there, some modders like the idea to earn some money from them mods).
Then, one year later, they can pretend this is the "industry standard" and do the same with Starfield or Fallout 76...
@Fiendish-Beaver How did you get to 300 hours for one playthrough?! My first playthrough was quite thorough, and I may have missed one or two minor places to visit, but I genuinely tried to do everything and ended up with 120 hours... more than twice that time, I really wonder if I missed a whole another game within the game?! : )
The most incredible stat to me is this : "By Act 2, 30,4% of players have given in to their illithid side and flexed their powers."
I interpret it this way : presented with new very good powers, people were so deep into the role playing they didn't make the "gamer decision" of minmaxing their character. Really impressive!
@ATaco Or maybe seeing the success of F2P like Genshin Impact pushes Western publishers to go even harder into the F2P live service thing, because they don't see themselves competitive in any other way.
Which, by the way, is sadly true in our current system.
If you think opening the door to China because of a few games you liked is a good idea, I can place a bet right now you're going to be sadly disappointed in a few year...
Seeing Genshin there should be a reminder to everyone that the Chinese marketplace opening to the world changes everything. There are an estimate of more than 650 millions gamers in China, more than there are people in the US or in the EU. The Chinese marketplace alone is potentially as big as the the North American, European and Japanese marketplace combined.
There is no way videogame publishers will not pander to China, because they see the potential profit, and they see how competitive Chinese games like Genshin Impact can be if they don't reciprocate quickly.
Now what it means in term of content, types of games and of economic dependence in the videogaming world, well, we'll see soon enough I guess.
@Blaze215 Oh no, I know the answer we get when we point out the obvious double standard, sit down now :
Fighting against oppression necessitates an inversion of values. By ridiculizing the idolized male member, we use the patriarchy's own tool against it and it acts as the empowerment of women, while the "boob jiggle" is based on the millennia of oppression the male gaze imposed on women with their depiction in media. As proof, see how we still censor words like "d*ck" and "c*ck" but write "boobs" openly.
I've read too much of this sh*t I can't unread it anymore...
For me it was : 1-Baldur's Gate 3 (even with the technical issues) 2-Hogwart's Legacy 3-Spider-Man 2 4-Street Fighter 6 (would have been higher without the ridiculous MTX) 5-Octopath Traveler 2
@Jaz007 I disagree with the "gaming standards", as the game as it launched was an incredible achievement in my opinion.
But I agree there were issues that should have been made more clear to everyone, mainly a rush ending and an almost unplayable Act III (which really became unplayable after a patch). We're here in the grey area of GOTY with this kind of game : what it aimed to do and what it achieved to do surpasses every other in such a way a lot of people manage to not see (or not care about) its pretty big flaws.
As for the marketing, I agree 100% : I'm very saddened at the way Larian made a point of putting "bear sex" in the forefront (and I'm even more disappointed in the general reaction about in gaming media), or even hyping out the "horniness" of the game. The game really didn't need this to be hyped and the marketing around it felt gross.
Just to be fair, at least this time they didn't even acknowledge the d**k physics in their patch, but maybe that was intentional : letting someone discover it made it even more newsworthy in their mind... idk
Weird how when people complain about the lessening of boob jiggle in a game (Zenless Zone Zero), they're considered "immature", "toxic" or even "incels", but then the people applauding the addition of d**k jiggle are not viewed the same.
Double standard much?I am for myself an universal jigglist, not a selective one. : )
The game looks fantastic and will definitely scratch my fantasy JRPG itch, bu my oh my this Vyrn thingy is annoying! I certainly hope there's a toggle for it...
Fingers crossed, as I loved the original. But we have to admit it is lacking in the graphical department, as was the first one.
But when the first one surprised us and came out of nowhere, this one has to face heavy expectations. Too much expectations in my opinion, and I'm afraid people will be disappointed.
While the first one was a breath of fresh air in the ARPG genre, and had very fun fighting mechanics, it was graphically ugly in many places, and the story was uninteresting. If they do not improve on both front (and we've already seen the graphical part being lacking), this looks like another sad 7/10 for an overhyped game.
Comments 1,100
Re: Spyro Tweet Sparks Hopes of Draconian Sequel
Why would anyone think a new Spyro would come to Playstation after the Microfost/Activision deal?
Re: Soapbox: Hear Me Out! Honkai: Star Rail Is One of PS5's Better Roguelites
@DestructionAllstars Fair enough, I'll take the hit! : )
Re: Poll: Which PS5 Games are You Buying in Early 2024's Ridiculous Release Schedule?
As always, I'll be waiting for a good sales to do any buying, but of all these games, Granblue Fantasy Relink and Dragon's Dogma 2 are the ones I'm the most optimistic about.
I'll also keep an eye on Rise of the Ronin and Pacific Drive...
Re: Soapbox: Hear Me Out! Honkai: Star Rail Is One of PS5's Better Roguelites
"Too much of what it’s hard to say exactly but basically everything."
I'm with you on that statement. And I'd use it to describe a lot of recent games. The main menu screen of games like The Crew Motorfest, Lego 2K drive, Battlefront 2 are so full of elements that it's tiring even before starting the game.
A main menu should be :
Continue
New Game
Load Game
Options
That's it... more than this and you've already lost me... Even worse scenario : no main menu, you're injected directly in the game with options and settings to the wazoo in all kind of different menus and windows, like Genshin Impact.
I know, I sound like an old man on his porch, and maybe I am.
Re: Get Lost in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's Dark World on PS5, PS4
@Gabrielmpf Apparently, it's 50€/$ or 45£.
60€/$ or 50£ for the Deluxe Edition.
Re: Get Lost in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown's Dark World on PS5, PS4
I stayed away from news about this game for a long time, and just based on this trailer : I'm not into the design. This faux-low poly design does feel like a cop out : not really retro, but not the high quality expected in 2024. The animations look ok though.
And damn that prince design is bad... Ubisoft really need to relearn how to make likeable characters. The last I can remember was Kassandra from AC Odyssey, and this was more than 5 years ago. (a small honorable mention to Fenyx in Immortals Fenyx Rising though...)
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
@Llamageddon Fair enough. Ideally, the choice of MC shouldn't have any impact on the kind of humor the devs choose.
But let's be real, there's no way this choice of MC in a game as huge as GTA6, in 2024, won't have a direct impact on what they will decide to include in the game itself. Which is funny in some way, since we are going to have endless debate about whether or not the game's handling of Lucia was "woke" or "offensive", whatever Rockstar chooses to do.
Kotaku's going to write thousand word long essays on why GTA6 is racist, and 4chan is going to be filled with "GTA6 is woke BS" anyway. Whatever is going to actually be in the game will never be enough for the ideologically close-minded on either side, and they will bring us along with them, sadly, as has happened in this comment section.
So, again, we'll see I guess. I'm sure the game itself will be fantastic, and I hope Rockstar manages to use their huge cultural influence to not bend to any extremes, whatever the side.
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
@ErrantRob Thank you. As a teacher myself, I strive to stay as objective and neutral as I can in my class, whatever my individual opinions (but I admit to letting go when I'm online, sadly that's what social media does to you!).
But while for some subjects, it's very difficult to see both sides as valid, here it should be easy to say that yes, being aware of past and current discriminatory behaviors and trying to change them and the structures allowing them is a good thing, but also yes, the abuse of such a position is easy to envision and observe in today's world, be it in the news media, the political world or entertainment.
So when "woke" people are simply calling for a more egalitarian and open minded society, no issue. But when the same people want to force everyone to agree with them on everything in the name of "equity", it's gone too far.
So a latina as an MC is not an issue, but if it's at the cost of the very harsh and raw satirical humor of previous GTA games, then it is one... We'll see I guess how well Rockstar handles it.
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
@DennisReynolds But being "woke" is absolutely not what you said. This is the PR marketing BS that politicians sell on TV.
Being "woke" is not just realising there are different people around you, it's also realising the current structures and institutions are causing discrimination and harm towards "marginalized people", and then having the duty of changing said structures and institutions so they are more "inclusive".
And I'm sure you know this well, as we've both been living in the same world for the last 10 years at least. ; )
Re: GTA 5's Michael Voice Actor a Big Fan of GTA 6 Protagonist: 'Lucia's Hard, Man'
Damn so we're still doing this? Ok then...
When people criticize something as being "woke" (notwithstanding the few dum-dums that just don't like women, and they are very few indeed), it's not because it has women or gay characters. Alien was not woke. The Ballad of Gay Tony was not woke. Metroid was not woke, etc, you get the gist.
"Being woke" is deconstructing current narratives, institutions and content to make them fit a new worldview. For example, taking an existing franchise and changing it until it isn't what it was anymore so it seems to be including more character currently deemed "marginalised". This is the main reason there are very few new IPs that can be considered "woke", and most of it is existing IPs being more or less slowly brought to a state that doesn't appeal to anyone anymore.
This is what people are afraid when they see a latina as the main character of GTA6, both the fact it's a woman MC and she's latina are things we've seen too many times in woke and weak attempts to deconstruct franchises that people are afraid Rockstar is doing the same and changing the satirical humor that makes GTA what it is. Personally, I'm not specially afraid, but since we live in 2024, I'm still wary (and would have been even if all the MCs were men).
Re: UK Sales Charts: Hogwarts Legacy Is the Country's Biggest Boxed Release of 2023
@mariomaster96 We obviously played the same game, but either we have different tastes, or we were in very different mindsets when we played it.
I'm always surprised at the takes other people have about some games. For example, I've always found the gameplay of the Metal Gear Solid games very poor, and their story obnoxious and pretentious, but clearly others don't see it the same way.
So of course I'm surprised at your takes abour HL. I have been playing open world games since they became a thing, and frankly to me it's one of the good ones. But as I said, opinions differ, and it's a good thing! : )
Re: UK Sales Charts: Hogwarts Legacy Is the Country's Biggest Boxed Release of 2023
@CharlieChooChoo Absolutely!
If you like open-world third person games, it's really good : the story is interesting, the characters are endearing, the world is well made with quite a few surprises, the castle is fantastic and the gameplay is fun without being overbearing.
And I say this without being any kind of Harry Potter fan (I've watched most of the movies once, and that's it). If you're a fan, it's a no brainer.
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
@jedinite I neved said that! : )
I said I would be coming back to the game again and again to see all the possibilities, and I added I already played the game twice. Of course I haven't seen all the possibilities yet!
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
@CharlieChooChoo Fair enough, but at least now you know what people may mean when they say SM2 was "safe".
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
@CharlieChooChoo Good question. Here are some suggestions (beware spoilers for SM2) :
1-the location : while it was fun to have more of New-York in it, one can argue it got repetitive at some point. Maybe a story based in two cities, or in two timelines with drastically different New York could have made it more surprising
2-the story : at least one major and real death should have happen at some point, either Peter or Miles, or at least MJ... the passing of the torch from Peter to Miles was handled in such a weird and fake way, killing Peter would have been the less safe but ultimately better way to go
3-the playable characters : everybody was expecting Peter and Miles to be playable but they really had to add Venom as fully playable for the third act, this would have also brought diversity to the gameplay
4-the story structure : while I applaud Insomniacs for how they managed to include so many characters in the same story like in SM1, I don't think "the real villain is only going to get revealed at the end of Act2" is good storytelling, especially when we all know who it's going to be, like in SM1. And at leat in SM1, we saw the villain's origin story, and even participated in it
5-the moral choices : Spider-Man's stories are all about the difficult moral choices between Peter's/Miles' personal life and the responsibility of a superhero. I would have loved to give the player this choice this time : let us choose the end of the game by making a choice, maybe between who is going to live, Peter or Miles, or between letting MJ or Harry die, or, as Miles, saving Peter or his mother... a lot of options, but a choice would have been great to have
I have a lot of other ideas, but for now what do you think about these?
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2023
Fantastic to see Sea of Stars in the top 10.
In any other years without heavy hitters like in 2023, Hogwarts Legacy would have easily been top 3 material. It is, imo, as good as SM2 is in what both games are trying to achieve : wonderful world, superb ambiance, good enough story and characters, and very fun gameplay mechanics.
Personally, BG3 is my GOTY : an incredible milestone for gaming that achieves enough to make you forget about the technical issues. I know it's a game I will be coming back again and again (already done 2 playthroughs) to see all the possibilities. This is the kind of experience I got with Dark Souls and Elden Ring : any other game feels less interesting than another run at BG3 right now.
SM2 is a great game for sure. It is everything a safe sequel should be : bigger world, more refined gameplay. But it's too safe : no gameplay mechanic was really game changing (except the gliding), the story, while well constructed, didn't include anything suprising, and the ideologically charged moments and side content made it cringe too often. But still a fantastic game to play and platinum in a few days.
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for January 2024 Announced
Fine month.
I already own A Plague Tale : Requiem, and it's really good.
I was interested in trying Evil West and Nobody Saves The World, so pretty good all in all.
Re: GTA 6 Hacker Ruled a High Risk to the Public, Sentenced to Life in Hospital
@MrHabushi Yeah I read through the article and he's not only autistic, but has severe autism, which can warrant hospitalization.
Add to this the violent behavior and the stalking and harassment, and the judge's decision is a lot more understandable.
For once, PushSquare's headline was pure clickbait, and I fell for it, sorry.
Re: Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising to Add Compulsory Crossover with NieR Automata's 2B
Dammit after all these years and the crossovers... her design still gets me every time!
Re: GTA 6 Hacker Ruled a High Risk to the Public, Sentenced to Life in Hospital
WTf?! So repeated sexual or violent offenders get a few years (if even) but a hacker gets life in hospital. Clearly money is more important than lives for the judge.
Also, why in hospital? Is he sick?
Edit : after reading the BBC article, PushSquare's headline and article is pure clickbait. I won't delete my comment and I'll take the hit, but damn, these last months, I've seen a few articles like that here that misrepresented the facts, I hope it won't become the norm...
Re: Insomniac Breaks Silence on 'Distressing' Data Breach, Marvel's Wolverine PS5 to Continue as Planned
@DennisReynolds Yeah I'll disagree on this. We're not talking about secret defense here, it's just video game. Unless there is some info relative to the game industry that could show abuse of corporations, or HR issues and so on, there's nothing to gain except clicks here for the gaming outlets.
Most gaming "journalists" are not journalists : they are either shills paid by (or at least financially dependent on) publishers, or just ideologically morons that view themselves too seriously.
Investigative gaming journalism done for the benefit of all included in the industry is almost dead today, and publishing the info that leaked does not help.
Now, if an outlet found out by themselves (via hacking or confidential sources) sensitive info about a publisher/developer and then published it, then I would say "ok, that's journalism". Copy-pasting reddit posts of a leak they had nothing to do with... that's just for clicks.
Re: Insomniac Breaks Silence on 'Distressing' Data Breach, Marvel's Wolverine PS5 to Continue as Planned
@RicebinBernacky No they shouldn't pretend the info is not out there. They should report on the leak, explain they won't publish any of the info in it unless it is officially confirmed and that's it.
That's what PushSquare has done (as far as I know, and for now, hopefully they'll stick with it), and I don't think it has hurt them (but I'd be glad to have an official confirmation about this).
Principles should be held above greed, don't you think?
Re: Insomniac Breaks Silence on 'Distressing' Data Breach, Marvel's Wolverine PS5 to Continue as Planned
@Tecinthebrain Yes, that's exactly what I'd want.
"Gaming journalism" today is already 95% corporate marketing done by ideological shills. Such an action would cleanse the industry in a drastic manner that could only be beneficial.
Believe me, Sony really doesn't need these 95% of media outlet to reach most of their customers, and most gamers out there would rejoice in seeing these outlets be forced to change or die.
Re: Insomniac Breaks Silence on 'Distressing' Data Breach, Marvel's Wolverine PS5 to Continue as Planned
I really hope Sony will boycott every media outlet that published any content of the leak. Just imagine Eurogamer and Kotaku (and others) not getting any games, demo, invitation, previews, updates and communication from Sony anymore. The gaming world would be so much better for it.
Re: Hardcore Tetris-Like Loot River Embarks on Perilous PS5, PS4 Voyage
This looks really fun! On my radar too!
Re: EA Changes Iconic Frostbite Logo, Signaling Philosophical Shift
Do the people in marketing and design know how pompous and vacuous their "explanations" sound to normal people?
""The sharp, cutting edges of previous handprints have also been smoothed out, creating more fluid shapes. This reflects our commitment to addressing Frostbite's rougher edges, creating a smoother experience for creators and players."... seriously???
Re: Nearly 5,000 PS5, PS4 Games Discounted in Colossal Christmas Sale
I was really expecting a discount on Spider-Man 2, even just a small one. But hey, what can you do...
Re: 19 All New PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Are Available to Play on PS5, PS4 Now
Tinykin and Salt and Sacrifice for me.
The former looks really fun, and I loved the predecessor to the latter.
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 507
@trymer89 I should give it another try then, maybe I wasn't in a good mindset to appreciate the return to the oldschool gameplay.
Thanks for the feedback mate!
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 507
Finished my second playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3 (an evil Dark Urge one, no less), and now switching between Teardown (since the "invert Y" toggle has finally been added) and Spider-Man (to prepare for SM2, which I plan to play and finish during the holidays!).
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 507
@trymer89 Tell us how it went for you!
I'm in the same boat as you : big fan of the franchise since the first AC on PS3, with my favorites being AC2, Unity and Origins. Odyssey was already getting tiresome for me, and Valhalla was a chore to finish (couldn't bother with the expansions!).
I thought Miracle would be a return to old school AC gameplay... and it is. But sadly, it is also very boring. After close to 6-7 hours of playing it, I just can't see any reason to continue : the characters are clichés and not charismatic, the story is as basic as you can and the city makes you feel you've seen it all with AC1 and Origins already. But maybe I should power through a few hours more, just in case something happen to make the game interesting...
Re: Fortnite Massively Cuts Prices of Criticised Rocket Racing PS5, PS4 Microtransactions
@McBurn Well, look at the headlines. We have "Fortnite Massively Cuts Prices of Criticised Rocket Racing PS5, PS4 Microtransactions" instead of "Fortnite still massively overcharges Rocket Racing microtransactions despite heavy criticism".
It was the same with Mortal Kombat 1, when this site applauded the fact some fatalities were going to be "free" (which wasn't exactly the case) instead of putting in the headlines that "Fatalities Season Pass" was coming.
I get what you say, but sadly I think lowering your prices right now garner enough positive press from media outlets that it has an impact Even if very engaged gamers like us don't bite into it, most average customers will see the headlines and leave it at that.
Re: Fortnite Massively Cuts Prices of Criticised Rocket Racing PS5, PS4 Microtransactions
@McBurn Or their goal was always the current prices, and they used the old tactic of setting too high an initial price just so they can "look good" when they lower it.
Re: Feature: Best PS5 Announcement at The Game Awards 2023, as Voted By You
@BamBamBaklava89 Same here. I can't pinpoint it, but something felt off. Like the sensation that what we were shown was barely holding on together and would break down the minute the camera looked away...
I hope I'm wrong though, it's a game I'd love to see be great.
Re: Feature: Best PS5 Announcement at The Game Awards 2023, as Voted By You
I'm disappointed with no Dragon Ball Sparking Zero.
I guess only old people like me remember how fantastically great was Budokai Tenkaichi 3...
Re: Visions of Mana Isn't Open World, But It Does Have 'Vast' Semi-Open Areas
@Rhaoulos I agree with you, except please don't put Hogwarts Legacy with AC Valhalla! Hogwarts was miles better than ACV in every way, the way its open world was denser and more interesting just one of them (and I say that as a huge fan of the AC franchise since the first game, while being very mildly interested with the Harry Potter franchise...)
Also : +1 pour la référence à Raoul!
Re: Poll: What Was the Best PS5 Game Announcement or Reveal at The Game Awards 2023?
I must be getting cynical in my old age, because the only thing that really got my heart pumping was Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero!
Hell yeah Budokai Tenkaichi is back, hopefully they will manage to keep the mtx to a minimum...
Re: Bethesda Rolls the Dice on Paid Mods in Skyrim Again
@Northern_munkey I'd say the reason they are doing this is simply because they know people have moved on from Skyrim, so the backlash will be relatively minor excepted in the hardcore modding community (and even there, some modders like the idea to earn some money from them mods).
Then, one year later, they can pretend this is the "industry standard" and do the same with Starfield or Fallout 76...
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Player Stats Show Crazy Completion Rate, Most Popular Romance, Class, and More
@Fiendish-Beaver How did you get to 300 hours for one playthrough?!
My first playthrough was quite thorough, and I may have missed one or two minor places to visit, but I genuinely tried to do everything and ended up with 120 hours... more than twice that time, I really wonder if I missed a whole another game within the game?! : )
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Player Stats Show Crazy Completion Rate, Most Popular Romance, Class, and More
The most incredible stat to me is this :
"By Act 2, 30,4% of players have given in to their illithid side and flexed their powers."
I interpret it this way : presented with new very good powers, people were so deep into the role playing they didn't make the "gamer decision" of minmaxing their character. Really impressive!
This or people just couldn't trust the Emperor...
Re: Final Five Games Battle It Out for The Game Awards Players' Choice
@ATaco Or maybe seeing the success of F2P like Genshin Impact pushes Western publishers to go even harder into the F2P live service thing, because they don't see themselves competitive in any other way.
Which, by the way, is sadly true in our current system.
If you think opening the door to China because of a few games you liked is a good idea, I can place a bet right now you're going to be sadly disappointed in a few year...
Re: Final Five Games Battle It Out for The Game Awards Players' Choice
Seeing Genshin there should be a reminder to everyone that the Chinese marketplace opening to the world changes everything. There are an estimate of more than 650 millions gamers in China, more than there are people in the US or in the EU. The Chinese marketplace alone is potentially as big as the the North American, European and Japanese marketplace combined.
There is no way videogame publishers will not pander to China, because they see the potential profit, and they see how competitive Chinese games like Genshin Impact can be if they don't reciprocate quickly.
Now what it means in term of content, types of games and of economic dependence in the videogaming world, well, we'll see soon enough I guess.
Re: Larian Slyly Slips Realistic Jiggle Physics into Baldur's Gate 3
@Blaze215 Oh no, I know the answer we get when we point out the obvious double standard, sit down now :
Fighting against oppression necessitates an inversion of values. By ridiculizing the idolized male member, we use the patriarchy's own tool against it and it acts as the empowerment of women, while the "boob jiggle" is based on the millennia of oppression the male gaze imposed on women with their depiction in media. As proof, see how we still censor words like "d*ck" and "c*ck" but write "boobs" openly.
I've read too much of this sh*t I can't unread it anymore...
Re: Poll: What Is Your PS5, PS4 Game of the Year 2023?
For me it was :
1-Baldur's Gate 3 (even with the technical issues)
2-Hogwart's Legacy
3-Spider-Man 2
4-Street Fighter 6 (would have been higher without the ridiculous MTX)
5-Octopath Traveler 2
Re: Larian Slyly Slips Realistic Jiggle Physics into Baldur's Gate 3
@Jaz007 I disagree with the "gaming standards", as the game as it launched was an incredible achievement in my opinion.
But I agree there were issues that should have been made more clear to everyone, mainly a rush ending and an almost unplayable Act III (which really became unplayable after a patch). We're here in the grey area of GOTY with this kind of game : what it aimed to do and what it achieved to do surpasses every other in such a way a lot of people manage to not see (or not care about) its pretty big flaws.
As for the marketing, I agree 100% : I'm very saddened at the way Larian made a point of putting "bear sex" in the forefront (and I'm even more disappointed in the general reaction about in gaming media), or even hyping out the "horniness" of the game. The game really didn't need this to be hyped and the marketing around it felt gross.
Just to be fair, at least this time they didn't even acknowledge the d**k physics in their patch, but maybe that was intentional : letting someone discover it made it even more newsworthy in their mind... idk
Re: Larian Slyly Slips Realistic Jiggle Physics into Baldur's Gate 3
Weird how when people complain about the lessening of boob jiggle in a game (Zenless Zone Zero), they're considered "immature", "toxic" or even "incels", but then the people applauding the addition of d**k jiggle are not viewed the same.
Double standard much?I am for myself an universal jigglist, not a selective one. : )
Re: Action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink Looks Fantastic in Hours of Raw PS5 Gameplay
The game looks fantastic and will definitely scratch my fantasy JRPG itch, bu my oh my this Vyrn thingy is annoying!
I certainly hope there's a toggle for it...
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Update 5 Is Monstrous, Adds an Entire Epilogue, New Difficulty Settings, and Much More
"While at camp, you can now access and manage the inventories of companions who aren't in your active party."
F*** yeah!!!!
Re: Dragon's Dogma 2 Still Looks Fantastic on PS5, March 2024 Release Date Confirmed
Fingers crossed, as I loved the original. But we have to admit it is lacking in the graphical department, as was the first one.
But when the first one surprised us and came out of nowhere, this one has to face heavy expectations. Too much expectations in my opinion, and I'm afraid people will be disappointed.
While the first one was a breath of fresh air in the ARPG genre, and had very fun fighting mechanics, it was graphically ugly in many places, and the story was uninteresting. If they do not improve on both front (and we've already seen the graphical part being lacking), this looks like another sad 7/10 for an overhyped game.
Let's hope I'm completely wrong!
Re: The Game Awards' Big Popularity Contest Is Underway
@trev666 I'm with you on this, while it's not my GOTY (BG3 is), the complete snub irks me a lot as it's a great game with a lot to like.