@GalacticBreakdown I like that it's like a cross between pantomime theatre, sports and a soap opera. Won't deny some of the stuff is total dross, but absolutely loved CM Punk and MJF on AEW.
@john_c Totally agree. It's why Disney bought Marvel and Star Wars, so they can hook ALL the kids! If they make Marvel and Star Wars more appealing to girls, even better (for their shareholders) .
@TheRedComet Even as someone who through their hat into the Google/android ring years ago purely to have a choice of phone manufacturers, that's roughly how I'd call it.
A seismic move that's further shifting the industry in a way that reminds me of Sega and Nintendo when I first started gaming. Nintendo had their classic line up and Sega had their coin op conversions like Outrun, Enduro Racer, Altered Beast alongside in house stuff like Phantasy Star.
I think it's important while in shock to retain perspective. Sony is still the market leader with a cracking portfolio of games, this just makes Microsoft for me start to look an attractive proposition/alternative for the first time in years.
They aren't some evil company, just a large one using their big pot at the poker table to start bullying. The other Tech giants (Google, Apple, Meta) have always looked shadier to me, I never got all the Microsoft hate?
If Microsoft additionally bought EA and the FIFA/Madden licenses to print money, then I'd start to be very concerned. I think Sony will be fine, and look forward to anything they do in response.
@Pixelated
Are you suggesting Joel was NOT a violent man?
He very clearly was, in a very clearly violent world.
This isn't a new trope, it's classic especially in westerns; look at True Grit, Logan, or The Mandalorian all of which show a violent man by OUR standards, but not necessarily by the world they are depicted in, navigating a somewhat naive (again, naive relative to the world THEY are in) child through it.
Now, you could argue violence having consequences/cycle of violence being a message in a video game is "leftist", but we know from Northern Ireland, Palestine, and The War on Terror, there is a cycle of violence in the real world.
I would argue more that violence is a mechanic in a lot of video games and "one man/elite unit with a weapon and a will" is the general message (Halo/Mass Effect/Call of Duty/Far Cry).
When you consider that after killing enough people the ending is often portrayed and framed as absolute and morally correct to justify your actions, if you absolutely are going to look for politics in all your media then it's hard not to see a lot of video games as "Conservative/Right Wing power fantasies" by default.
I don't have a problem with this, more of all the mediums for people to mention "the left" about, videogames are the strangest.
@TheFrenchiestFry Even if it did all of those, I imagine there some that would be at least one "No Covid cure? I'll wait for a deep discount or PS plus monthly!"
I have been playing it on and off since the latest patch, honestly some of the set pieces and art direction are fantastic, but unless CDPR overhaul levelling, perks, some of the side quest repetition, ability to preview clothes before purchasing and the controls, I'd still be cautious.
It's my kind of game for better or worse but I can't say it's a masterpiece held back purely by technical shortcomings.
The core game feels like playing a bloated version of Deus Ex from 2000 at times; a 21 year old pc game, albeit with the greatest lick of paint ever.
@Milktastrophe That's always been my gut feeling, but I was wondering if there actually was an article that explored sales, price point at time of sale, and percentage of users that platinum title to see where the tipping point is. So would people pay 3.99 for an easy platinum? 7.99? 11.99?
Does the actual gameplay matter in relation for price? Will people pull their own teeth for 5 hours , but not 10 hours for a platinum?
When the OP used "correlation", I was hoping it was because they had something of that nature.
It did gangbusters either way, I think what will be of great interest is whatever they release next.
I am sure even a 10/10 Witcher 4 will see a drop from expectations, just as Cyberpunk 2077 had a Witcher 3 boost.
Typically as is always the case with fans, myself included, I bet the pre orders are down, but if their next game is a stunning return to form day 1, only the very few will really follow through on the "boycott" of the release long term.
I still haven't bought a Gearbox game after Colonial Marines but I was never a Borderlands fan so it's not exactly been a massive sacrifice.
@nessisonett If I can remember, and nothing decent is currently on Netflix, I'll stop everything and clap at my phone in support of you and your hashtag every night at eight.
@BranJ0 I played Mass Effect 2 originally on PS3 with the comic book "up to speed" recap of Mass Effect. Loved it, still one of my favourite games ever; I actually went out and bought an Xbox so I could play the first game!
I would compare the quality arc to the Alien, or Terminator trilogy of Movies; excellent slow paced start, blockbuster action sequel that's possibly better and well, a third one where the mileage varies.
@Juanalf I would rather they won me over with a better hardware build, better network/infrastructure, better subscription models.
If anything, there could be a better potential for gamers; with games available for all systems and comparable performance, each company would have to really think of ways to court your business.
Maybe Bethesda games are timed exclusives, reduced DLC or simply can't be offered on PS subscription services; standalone release only.
That way Microsoft win because it has the additional PS sales (maybe even at a slight premium price) but can offer them at better value as part of their services (enticing to buy an Xbox/sub) .
PS gamers do get the game, which is better than missing out, but also the feeling there is maybe better value on Xbox.
It's how PC manufacturers work, right? Try and come up with the best / most enticing options for you to play games for Windows. Behind that, Steam, Epic Stores pretty much have all the same games in the end, right? I am sure that all contributes to the lower prices for PC games even though they should require more QA and Testing because of the vastly different builds.
@Octane Thank you, you are eloquenting the point I am trying to make, in a better way. I actually totally agree. The Good Place for example had a diverse cast, but the characters are all so so good because they have actual characteristics and feel slightly exaggerated humans.
For the record, I loved Force Awakens, The Last Jedi (although both flawed in places) and was stung by Rise of Skywalker.
@Octane
Totally agree, it's more of making the point to why if anyone says the Mandalorian and Cobra Kai treat nostalgia characters well in a superior/preferable way, I can usually think about it and embrace the argument, agree or disagree. It's positive analysis applying theory to media. I love that.
The more people try and go the negative way and guess at Palpatine esque grand conspiracy machinations from Kathleen Kennedy, mentally it's harder for me to get on board with the royal you.
Same with the gaming version of The Last Jedi that shall remain nameless, haha.
@Robinsad
I still think and have to have faith that promoting diversity is a good thing, it's just been badly executed. As you say, the issue was Finn spent two films chasing Rey yelling "Rey!" basically.
I mean more it's easier and simpler to objectively look at actions, rather than speculate about motives. Especially if that speculation is making people angry; anger leads to hate, and all that!
Whenever I hear fans talk about why they like Star Wars, or what they like like, I always tend to agree with the positives.
When I hear about why they preferred x over y, I can usually agree to disagree, or agree, but usually respect the logical reasoning.
I sigh when I hear about how something is bad because Kathleen Kennedy has a cabal of black female lesbian writers locked away in a groupthink bubble. How they are toiling away trying to emasculate white male role models for some grand SJWoke Agenda or whatever, I just think I'm dealing with the fandom branch of QAnon.
@Deadhunter
I was about to say exactly the same, my feelings are pretty much in line with yours. I consider Dave Filoni to be George Lucas "literary heir", he understands what makes Star Wars special to so many people and how it resonates on human levels.
I think JJ got visually and structurally or essential the superficial of why people like Star Wars; Force Awakens was more a "Greatest Hits" album by the best Cover Band.
I like The Last Jedi relatively for what it did, with what it was given. I feel that a lot of anger is directed at Rian Johnson, but it should be more disappointment aimed at Kathleen Kennedy for her consistently poor, reactive choices at Lucasfilm.
She's a bad Captain of the ship, it's not because of the "SJW" stuff she's accused of, it's simply because she's like a GM that keeps hiring bad Head Coaches and firing them.
Eventually, it's surely the person doing the hiring and firing that's the problem.
For me, the issue is purely changing a game post release, and not for the betterment of the player's experience.
It's not a question of how much time and money I have, it's more the accountability of the publisher to make sure they stay fair.
It is all very good and well to say a derivative of "well, I'm ok Jack" and what is being done here may be nothing too insidious.
If though, with every title, the publisher pushes the boundaries a little more, how long is it before a patch nerfs the base equipment while introducing shiny new items to purchase?
Even if you are cash and time rich, we still have to keep an eye on what companies are doing now post release so that we can continue to make informed choices about buying a game.
Hopefully for the better, in Cyberpunk's case.
One day in the future Ubi or someone might try the equivalent of what Apple did when they artificially lowered performance of "last year's" iPhones.
I'd like to think we can all agree we have to be vigilant for future behaviours like that, because keeping them out of our hobby benefits us all long term.
I remember the first Grand Theft Auto on the pc could be "cracked" by installing the demo and copy and pasting over a single ".ini" file. This kept the no cd status of the demo, but removed the action that ended the demo early after the first level.
After realising this, will never forget the excitement of me and my mates excitedly pedalling around to all our houses with the PC Zone demo disk after our paper rounds.
@NEStalgia I actually largely agree, I think you've helped me crystallise my thoughts more.
In another thread, I was lamenting the "we'll just do an open world RPG/Destiny clone" approach to designing a game without any real thought but I suppose my overall gripe ties in with your point.
Some games try and be very cinematic or tell this amazing story. The issue is the story is not always very well written for the medium as the open world design can remove a sense of urgency/peril.
Sometimes absolutely the player should be compelled by the narrative, or forced by design to focus on the story.
Equally tying into your point about about playing a game/playing interactive fiction; Days Gone got panned quite a bit but I actually found doing the hordes pure simple fun. In a similar vein I like Streets of Rage 4 because it's fun beating up goons, or Untitled Goose Game because it's fun tripping virtual small children in puddles.
The Flame in the Flood, or Don't Starve were great examples of "games". I always liked 4X games too because they were, well, "games".
Anything with a challenge or a scenario to overcome, and a sense of satisfaction in doing so.
Based on the games you mentioned, how did you feel about Journey?
I'd possibly disagree on TLOU2 a little, because I actually think I spent more time playing a game; ironically on FFVII Remake, an RPG I am really enjoying, it has felt at times oversaturated with cutscenes to tell a story.
Certainly for me, TLOU2 is an improvement on what I remember from early ND games, it was closer to Metal Gear Solid at times (well, the way I played the game, anyway) rather than one hell of an on rails rollercoaster.
@ygorapBFR I own P5R and it's probably going to be in the backlog for some time , if forever because of this; at two hours play a day, it's still roughly a 3 month proposition!
@Cornaboyzzz I like all kinds of games, both Destiny and Bloodborne actually.
But that's a good example, I guess Nioh didn't really click with me as it just felt like it was just missing that little bit of magic, but if you like the genre a lot, there was probably more there for you?
I am however waiting for Sekiro's price to start with a "2" but I might cave one day.
FarCry, I really liked 5 and New Dawn. (I wish they'd have called it FarCry 76 though) but none of the others really grabbed me, I guess the locale and militia/cult in the depths of America was more interesting personally. I think a lot of long term fans didn't like it though?
@Col_McCafferty You are talking to the converted; I actually agree with what you are saying, I've just chose my words poorly then. I actually rarely if ever buy games day one, and play them at my own pace, usually when they are a decent price in a sale.
I defended TLOU2 on the merit it was what the creative forces wanted to do, rather than what the consumer was expecting.
I guess it would be arrogant to want games designed to my taste, but it's not arrogant to say I hope they are designed on their own merit and not to try and appeal to as many players as possible by being very close in design to other successful titles.
Spider-Man and Batman work because they make you feel like those heroes, with the traversal and combat. The Witcher, I really felt like a "Monster hard boiled detective".
The Avengers didn't work (I gather) because it appears the creative thrust was "This License cost us a lot, so what do people really like that is really lucrative, so we'll probably be safe...Destiny?". It's not currently on my radar because of this; Anthem was another example. Whether I play it yesterday, today, or tomorrow, is it a great game? Probably not.
With GAAS, there might not even be a tomorrow.
EA intially looked like they were treating Star Wars like a Battlefield reskin with FIFA transactions. When I played as the heroes, I didn't feel like a hero.
However I did in Fallen Order, for me they got that right.
So I guess I am really saying I hope we have more Spider-Man and Witcher 3, and less Avengers and Battlefront from the big companies?
@Col_McCafferty
From a personal point of view, I think it's more when something is huge , or respected (Modern Warfare/Grand Theft Auto/Fallout 4/whatever). It's more the fact for a while the influence means you get a lot more of the same style but never quite as good.
Like after the MCU, everything has to be an intertwined Universe. Universal tried a "Monsters Universe" and it was pants.
It's not having a "Universe" that made the MCU great, it was a part of it.
Just as it's not being an open world RPG that made Spider-Man, W3 and Tsushima great, it's part of it.
I guess at some point, even the MCU and Open World action RPGs will stagnate, I'd like to think companies are working on the next big idea, rather than their spin on an existing/borrowed template.
Not complaining, more "familiarity breeds contempt".
Like Taken was great , then Liam Neeson seemingly remade it 37 times, with "It's Liam Neeson, but in the snow" being the last one I saw.
@PossibLeigh
Totally agreed. A lot of time the plot gets undermined by the lack of thought in an open world design and you can often just stop caring. Fallout 4 was classic; "SOMEONE TOOK MY BABY! Well, I guess they'll be ok for several months while I comb the map looking for all the Power Armours to become Tony Stark of the post Apocalypse. I guess at some point I'll go find out what happened to my son. Maybe. Maybe not.".
EDIT > I should say I spent countless hours in the game becoming the Tony Stark of the post Apocalypse, but I never finished it ; The metroidvania style of Fallen Order was a nice balance of exploration and freedom for me. I hope we'll have more games in that manner.
@GamingVeteran Intersting take because I'd swing the other way and have said that Tsushima is the best example of a very very tired genre that I have a dwindling interest in. I tried AC: Odyssey this year and thought it was fine, but nothing I hadn't played before and story wasn't pulling me in.
It's all subjective but with Tsushima I found the gameplay to be a very satisfying refinement of the Batman model in that it's easy to pick up, but there is something to master.
The open world collectables were be a decent version of the Ubi-Towers. The side quests to be in TW3 vein of contemplative morality tales/funny asides.The art and sound direction were gorgeous meaning it was genuinely pleasant to be in the world.
The throttled opening of the map was lifted from Grand Theft Auto, but done well.
The loading times have spoiled me to the point when playing FFVII remake, waiting for the game to catch up to Cloud for that second or so pause before the action/cutscene happens actually sticks out far more than it should.
On that note, the game felt epic and understated at the same time. The initial beach charge felt amazing, in contrast Cloud's first motorcycle ride / duel felt borderline silly at times. It was how I felt about the Metal Gear Solid cutscenes compared to The Twin Snakes. I preferred the original because for me sometimes, less is more.
Certainly agree "we'll do an open world RPG" and (for me) "destiny esque Game as a service" are getting worn out though. We had it before when seemingly everything was a first person military shooter post CoD, or a before that "run around and do some crime" after GTA became huge.
@Col_McCafferty
Remain/Leave went on for four years, but I think gamers can do much better and grind TLOU2 out for at least the end of the PS5 cycle.
It's got the same critics/elite vs people/populist backbone at heart , but it also has that added passion of fandom fuelling it; Food standards, freedom of movement and employee rights are all very well and good, but they are not everyday concerns like video games.
The inevitable PS5 specific update will be a fantastic chance for a robust, healthy objective debate while we are all unemployed eating chlorinated chicken in our lead paint lined walled rooms/enjoying all the free time of our golden age utopia after liberation from the EUSSR.
I think some of the issue is, for example God of War and Uncharted never grabbed me quite in the same way they grabbed others but you'd have to really be hard pressed to not see the objective quality.
I played this through, finishing a couple of days ago and honestly haven't seen anything that warranted the mass "0/10" user score stuff.
I can always respect a well reasoned, polite argument and infact I love this game because there is so much to talk about with people willing to talk about it, whether they loved it or hated it.
Always thought if you don't discuss things, and take on other valid points, how can you ever refine and improve your own world view, or understand others?
I have seen people say variations of "I didn't like the story at all, technically it was amazing though" or "was good but not in my top 5 this year" and that seems pretty sensible to me.
Outside of that kind of opinion, this game does feel like when the BBC airs something and there are five complaints.
The Daily Mail comes out the next day telling people of my parents age why they should be angry and suddenly the BBC has thousands of complaints from people that didn't even watch the program.
Edit> Not saying anyone in particular is in that category, just that's the real issue (pile on culture)
@AdamNovice
For me Lev was naive and childlike. He offered the same perspective that Ellie had in the first game, but was sweet and sensitive, whereas Ellie was a bit more foul mouthed and mischievous. Both were still on the side of childlike innocence at the start though, and had a protector who saw to protect and preserve that, partly out of personal redemption.
I didn't hate what Joel did in the first game, he was a complex person in a crappy world. Ultimately he did what every single person you encounter did in a crumbled society, what was best for them.
He loved Ellie as a surrogate daughter and didn't want to live in a world without her, this was foreshadowed with Henry and Sam. At that part of the story Joel was "mid turn", he understood where Henry was because of Sarah and he'd "buried it deep and moved on", but he didn't care enough about Ellie yet to consider if he could suffer such a loss again.
I think Joel is the villain in the same way the protagonist of "I am Legend" is the villain, not evil or bad, possibly even heroic and virtuous at the same time.
@fR_eeBritney @nessisonett That's actually why I mentioned it, at the time I felt probably how a lot of people felt about The Last of Us 2 now. I thought the game was great but I wanted to play as Snake, I didn't hate it though, I gather some did.
I think now, I'd be more tolerable of what they were trying to do and appreciate it more, even if I'd still rather have played as Snake.
I would have loved another Joel and Ellie adventure in my heart but I guess it's my head telling me that narratively the way they went probably made more sense.
@fR_eeBritney
Just out of curiosity, how did you feel about Metal Gear Solid 2? (Not the expected role of beloved protagonist)
Most of the time we play video games or watch movies for escapism so our heroes going on and on and on through sequels is great; we almost subconsciously expect the happy ending and look for the twists that take us there.
I honestly saw Joel as the villain at the end of The Last of Us, though I still loved him as a character. I could see how people saw him as heroic though.
I think the problem you can possibly get with some games like Assassin's Creed or Call of Duty, or even Star Wars and the MCU films now is that when things get bound by a winning formula that doesn't rock the boat, you end up with just polished iterations of the same thing and they can feel samey or repetitive eventually.
When you are free to create you might have a hit (Joker) and a miss (Justice League) or a maybe (Wonder Woman 84) but at least they are interesting, to me anyway.
Always subscribed to the Alan Moore ideology of "create your art and let it find it's audience, rather than writing for an audience because you can't please everyone anyway".
Art should be divisive, entertainment can happily be middle of the road.
This was a piece of art and a high point for the medium of video games.
Any other year of PS4, Tsushima takes the crown by far for me and I'm a Kurosawa fan, so I do not say that lightly. I think those two were miles ahead of the rest of this year's AAA games (that I've played). What a way to end the generation!
This was crafted so well, like Kojima Naughty Dog care about the little details and the gameplay loop was fantastic.
Like Kojima also, you can debate to death the plot and whether it's genius or rubbish, but you absolutely can't take away the respect the medium is given and the effort put in from the Developer.
Hopefully they'll stay the course and do something divisive again with part 3 if it ever happens.
@Bazooka I thought the side quests were often Witcher style musings on the dark hearts of men rather than "chase 5 chickens". I enjoyed them, even the random ones.
@Jimmer-jammer I thought the sub quests were a particular highlight as well, the Tomoe and Norio quests were nice mirrors to how your actions may be perceived by others.
@InsertGoodName I thought the message was more that people are complex, or varying degrees of good and evil depending greatly on the paradigm of the people judging the actions.
This is different to the simple "protagonist=good, antagonist=bad" in most games.
To a certain degree, Joel, Ellie and Abby were all dehumanised by loss and did terrible things. Joel however regained his humanity and became father he always wanted to be, before his past caught back up with him when his guard was down.
Ellie and Abby lost more than they gained in trying to avenge their father's death but at the very last moment tried to break the cycle of violence in the collapsed/rebuilding society they lived in. Again, this was different to the usual "beating the boss=good ending" in games.
I thought it was interesting and thought provoking, I understand that a lot of the upset gamers would have preferred the status quo. However, I didn't really notice the race angle myself?
@DonJorginho
At this stage, arguing whether it's the top end of awful, or the middle of average seems to probably justify the "biggest disappointment of the generation" by itself.
@KingPev
As with a lot of these things, it's not the disappointment that doesn't sell, it's the next release after that shows the consequences.
Comments 307
Re: The Last of Us HBO's Bella Ramsey: Fans Are Going to Love the Show
@nessisonett
"The picture shows a classic Boxing Day trip to football"
Re: WWE 2K22 (PS5) - A Return to Form for 2K's Wrestling Franchise
@GalacticBreakdown
I like that it's like a cross between pantomime theatre, sports and a soap opera. Won't deny some of the stuff is total dross, but absolutely loved CM Punk and MJF on AEW.
Re: WWE 2K22 (PS5) - A Return to Form for 2K's Wrestling Franchise
@nessisonett
Said exactly the same, and I like both.
Re: French Retailer Warns PS5 Players to Choose Console Carefully After Xbox's Activision Acquisition
@ApostateMage
"...Because the comment section is bad for your health"
Re: Microsoft Buys Call of Duty Publisher Activision Blizzard
@john_c
Totally agree. It's why Disney bought Marvel and Star Wars, so they can hook ALL the kids! If they make Marvel and Star Wars more appealing to girls, even better (for their shareholders) .
Re: Microsoft Buys Call of Duty Publisher Activision Blizzard
@TheRedComet
Even as someone who through their hat into the Google/android ring years ago purely to have a choice of phone manufacturers, that's roughly how I'd call it.
Where would you put Tesla and Amazon? Haha!
Re: Microsoft Buys Call of Duty Publisher Activision Blizzard
A seismic move that's further shifting the industry in a way that reminds me of Sega and Nintendo when I first started gaming. Nintendo had their classic line up and Sega had their coin op conversions like Outrun, Enduro Racer, Altered Beast alongside in house stuff like Phantasy Star.
I think it's important while in shock to retain perspective. Sony is still the market leader with a cracking portfolio of games, this just makes Microsoft for me start to look an attractive proposition/alternative for the first time in years.
They aren't some evil company, just a large one using their big pot at the poker table to start bullying. The other Tech giants (Google, Apple, Meta) have always looked shadier to me, I never got all the Microsoft hate?
If Microsoft additionally bought EA and the FIFA/Madden licenses to print money, then I'd start to be very concerned. I think Sony will be fine, and look forward to anything they do in response.
Re: Rumour: The Last of Us Remake Almost Complete, Out This Year
@Pixelated
Are you suggesting Joel was NOT a violent man?
He very clearly was, in a very clearly violent world.
This isn't a new trope, it's classic especially in westerns; look at True Grit, Logan, or The Mandalorian all of which show a violent man by OUR standards, but not necessarily by the world they are depicted in, navigating a somewhat naive (again, naive relative to the world THEY are in) child through it.
Now, you could argue violence having consequences/cycle of violence being a message in a video game is "leftist", but we know from Northern Ireland, Palestine, and The War on Terror, there is a cycle of violence in the real world.
I would argue more that violence is a mechanic in a lot of video games and "one man/elite unit with a weapon and a will" is the general message (Halo/Mass Effect/Call of Duty/Far Cry).
When you consider that after killing enough people the ending is often portrayed and framed as absolute and morally correct to justify your actions, if you absolutely are going to look for politics in all your media then it's hard not to see a lot of video games as "Conservative/Right Wing power fantasies" by default.
I don't have a problem with this, more of all the mediums for people to mention "the left" about, videogames are the strangest.
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Hideo Kojima Fans Investigate PS5 Exclusive Abandoned, Reads Like Conspiracy Theories
@TheFrenchiestFry
Even if it did all of those, I imagine there some that would be at least one "No Covid cure? I'll wait for a deep discount or PS plus monthly!"
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Will Return to the PS Store on the 21st June
I have been playing it on and off since the latest patch, honestly some of the set pieces and art direction are fantastic, but unless CDPR overhaul levelling, perks, some of the side quest repetition, ability to preview clothes before purchasing and the controls, I'd still be cautious.
It's my kind of game for better or worse but I can't say it's a masterpiece held back purely by technical shortcomings.
The core game feels like playing a bloated version of Deus Ex from 2000 at times; a 21 year old pc game, albeit with the greatest lick of paint ever.
Re: PS Plus Title Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Goes Hilariously Retro With Legendary DLC Pack
@Milktastrophe
That's always been my gut feeling, but I was wondering if there actually was an article that explored sales, price point at time of sale, and percentage of users that platinum title to see where the tipping point is. So would people pay 3.99 for an easy platinum? 7.99? 11.99?
Does the actual gameplay matter in relation for price? Will people pull their own teeth for 5 hours , but not 10 hours for a platinum?
When the OP used "correlation", I was hoping it was because they had something of that nature.
Re: PS Plus Title Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown Goes Hilariously Retro With Legendary DLC Pack
@Jeevz
Do you have any data on the sales/fun of trophy list correlation? I love stats and I'd be curious to see the link.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 Refunds Accounted for Less than 0.5% of Launch Period Sales
It did gangbusters either way, I think what will be of great interest is whatever they release next.
I am sure even a 10/10 Witcher 4 will see a drop from expectations, just as Cyberpunk 2077 had a Witcher 3 boost.
Typically as is always the case with fans, myself included, I bet the pre orders are down, but if their next game is a stunning return to form day 1, only the very few will really follow through on the "boycott" of the release long term.
I still haven't bought a Gearbox game after Colonial Marines but I was never a Borderlands fan so it's not exactly been a massive sacrifice.
Re: Action Comedy Twisted Metal Television Show Officially in Production
@nessisonett
Like pouches, pockets and basic human dimensions.
Re: The Last of Us TV Show Casts The Mandalorian Star as Joel
@Zuljaras
It was more a joke. He "lacks range", oddly my wife doesn't seem to mind.
Re: The Last of Us TV Show Casts The Mandalorian Star as Joel
@Zuljaras
Gerard Butler is a great actor? Maybe my wife has dragged me to all the wrong Gerard Butler movies?
Re: This Is Who Will Play Ellie in The Last of Us TV Show
@nessisonett
If I can remember, and nothing decent is currently on Netflix, I'll stop everything and clap at my phone in support of you and your hashtag every night at eight.
Re: Mass Effect Legendary Edition Is Quite the Upgrade in Shepard Comparison Shots
@BranJ0
I played Mass Effect 2 originally on PS3 with the comic book "up to speed" recap of Mass Effect. Loved it, still one of my favourite games ever; I actually went out and bought an Xbox so I could play the first game!
I would compare the quality arc to the Alien, or Terminator trilogy of Movies; excellent slow paced start, blockbuster action sequel that's possibly better and well, a third one where the mileage varies.
Re: PlayStation Studios Poised to Publish First Ever Xbox One Game
@Juanalf
I would rather they won me over with a better hardware build, better network/infrastructure, better subscription models.
If anything, there could be a better potential for gamers; with games available for all systems and comparable performance, each company would have to really think of ways to court your business.
Maybe Bethesda games are timed exclusives, reduced DLC or simply can't be offered on PS subscription services; standalone release only.
That way Microsoft win because it has the additional PS sales (maybe even at a slight premium price) but can offer them at better value as part of their services (enticing to buy an Xbox/sub) .
PS gamers do get the game, which is better than missing out, but also the feeling there is maybe better value on Xbox.
It's how PC manufacturers work, right? Try and come up with the best / most enticing options for you to play games for Windows. Behind that, Steam, Epic Stores pretty much have all the same games in the end, right? I am sure that all contributes to the lower prices for PC games even though they should require more QA and Testing because of the vastly different builds.
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Features 300 Playable Characters, Open Ended Design
@Octane
Thank you, you are eloquenting the point I am trying to make, in a better way. I actually totally agree. The Good Place for example had a diverse cast, but the characters are all so so good because they have actual characteristics and feel slightly exaggerated humans.
For the record, I loved Force Awakens, The Last Jedi (although both flawed in places) and was stung by Rise of Skywalker.
Excited for all the upcoming shows too!
Re: LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Features 300 Playable Characters, Open Ended Design
@Octane
Totally agree, it's more of making the point to why if anyone says the Mandalorian and Cobra Kai treat nostalgia characters well in a superior/preferable way, I can usually think about it and embrace the argument, agree or disagree. It's positive analysis applying theory to media. I love that.
The more people try and go the negative way and guess at Palpatine esque grand conspiracy machinations from Kathleen Kennedy, mentally it's harder for me to get on board with the royal you.
Same with the gaming version of The Last Jedi that shall remain nameless, haha.
@Robinsad
I still think and have to have faith that promoting diversity is a good thing, it's just been badly executed. As you say, the issue was Finn spent two films chasing Rey yelling "Rey!" basically.
I mean more it's easier and simpler to objectively look at actions, rather than speculate about motives. Especially if that speculation is making people angry; anger leads to hate, and all that!
Re: LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Features 300 Playable Characters, Open Ended Design
Whenever I hear fans talk about why they like Star Wars, or what they like like, I always tend to agree with the positives.
When I hear about why they preferred x over y, I can usually agree to disagree, or agree, but usually respect the logical reasoning.
I sigh when I hear about how something is bad because Kathleen Kennedy has a cabal of black female lesbian writers locked away in a groupthink bubble. How they are toiling away trying to emasculate white male role models for some grand SJWoke Agenda or whatever, I just think I'm dealing with the fandom branch of QAnon.
Maybe she's just simply not very good.
Re: LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga Features 300 Playable Characters, Open Ended Design
@Deadhunter
I was about to say exactly the same, my feelings are pretty much in line with yours. I consider Dave Filoni to be George Lucas "literary heir", he understands what makes Star Wars special to so many people and how it resonates on human levels.
I think JJ got visually and structurally or essential the superficial of why people like Star Wars; Force Awakens was more a "Greatest Hits" album by the best Cover Band.
I like The Last Jedi relatively for what it did, with what it was given. I feel that a lot of anger is directed at Rian Johnson, but it should be more disappointment aimed at Kathleen Kennedy for her consistently poor, reactive choices at Lucasfilm.
She's a bad Captain of the ship, it's not because of the "SJW" stuff she's accused of, it's simply because she's like a GM that keeps hiring bad Head Coaches and firing them.
Eventually, it's surely the person doing the hiring and firing that's the problem.
Re: Assassin's Creed Valhalla Players Are Starting to Question the Game's Armour Set Microtransactions
For me, the issue is purely changing a game post release, and not for the betterment of the player's experience.
It's not a question of how much time and money I have, it's more the accountability of the publisher to make sure they stay fair.
It is all very good and well to say a derivative of "well, I'm ok Jack" and what is being done here may be nothing too insidious.
If though, with every title, the publisher pushes the boundaries a little more, how long is it before a patch nerfs the base equipment while introducing shiny new items to purchase?
Even if you are cash and time rich, we still have to keep an eye on what companies are doing now post release so that we can continue to make informed choices about buying a game.
Hopefully for the better, in Cyberpunk's case.
One day in the future Ubi or someone might try the equivalent of what Apple did when they artificially lowered performance of "last year's" iPhones.
I'd like to think we can all agree we have to be vigilant for future behaviours like that, because keeping them out of our hobby benefits us all long term.
Re: Random: The 25-Year-Old PS1 Demo Disc Cheat You Never Knew About
I remember the first Grand Theft Auto on the pc could be "cracked" by installing the demo and copy and pasting over a single ".ini" file. This kept the no cd status of the demo, but removed the action that ended the demo early after the first level.
After realising this, will never forget the excitement of me and my mates excitedly pedalling around to all our houses with the PC Zone demo disk after our paper rounds.
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
@NEStalgia
I actually largely agree, I think you've helped me crystallise my thoughts more.
In another thread, I was lamenting the "we'll just do an open world RPG/Destiny clone" approach to designing a game without any real thought but I suppose my overall gripe ties in with your point.
Some games try and be very cinematic or tell this amazing story. The issue is the story is not always very well written for the medium as the open world design can remove a sense of urgency/peril.
Sometimes absolutely the player should be compelled by the narrative, or forced by design to focus on the story.
Equally tying into your point about about playing a game/playing interactive fiction; Days Gone got panned quite a bit but I actually found doing the hordes pure simple fun. In a similar vein I like Streets of Rage 4 because it's fun beating up goons, or Untitled Goose Game because it's fun tripping virtual small children in puddles.
The Flame in the Flood, or Don't Starve were great examples of "games". I always liked 4X games too because they were, well, "games".
Anything with a challenge or a scenario to overcome, and a sense of satisfaction in doing so.
Based on the games you mentioned, how did you feel about Journey?
I'd possibly disagree on TLOU2 a little, because I actually think I spent more time playing a game; ironically on FFVII Remake, an RPG I am really enjoying, it has felt at times oversaturated with cutscenes to tell a story.
Certainly for me, TLOU2 is an improvement on what I remember from early ND games, it was closer to Metal Gear Solid at times (well, the way I played the game, anyway) rather than one hell of an on rails rollercoaster.
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: Best PS5, PS4 RPG of 2020
@Col_McCafferty @nessisonett
Seconded for Yakuza 0, then Kiwami.
A little because of Miracle Johnson.
I also liked the Fist of The North Star game based on the same engine, but I loved the anime.
Re: Game of the Year: Best PS5, PS4 RPG of 2020
@ygorapBFR
I did put 150 hours into P5 and it was an absolute joy, top ten PS4 for me.
It's the conjuring up 180 more to essentially do it all again and more that's fearsome!
Re: Game of the Year: Best PS5, PS4 RPG of 2020
@ygorapBFR
I own P5R and it's probably going to be in the backlog for some time , if forever because of this; at two hours play a day, it's still roughly a 3 month proposition!
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@Cornaboyzzz
I like all kinds of games, both Destiny and Bloodborne actually.
But that's a good example, I guess Nioh didn't really click with me as it just felt like it was just missing that little bit of magic, but if you like the genre a lot, there was probably more there for you?
I am however waiting for Sekiro's price to start with a "2" but I might cave one day.
FarCry, I really liked 5 and New Dawn. (I wish they'd have called it FarCry 76 though) but none of the others really grabbed me, I guess the locale and militia/cult in the depths of America was more interesting personally. I think a lot of long term fans didn't like it though?
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@Col_McCafferty
You are talking to the converted; I actually agree with what you are saying, I've just chose my words poorly then. I actually rarely if ever buy games day one, and play them at my own pace, usually when they are a decent price in a sale.
I defended TLOU2 on the merit it was what the creative forces wanted to do, rather than what the consumer was expecting.
I guess it would be arrogant to want games designed to my taste, but it's not arrogant to say I hope they are designed on their own merit and not to try and appeal to as many players as possible by being very close in design to other successful titles.
Spider-Man and Batman work because they make you feel like those heroes, with the traversal and combat. The Witcher, I really felt like a "Monster hard boiled detective".
The Avengers didn't work (I gather) because it appears the creative thrust was "This License cost us a lot, so what do people really like that is really lucrative, so we'll probably be safe...Destiny?".
It's not currently on my radar because of this; Anthem was another example. Whether I play it yesterday, today, or tomorrow, is it a great game? Probably not.
With GAAS, there might not even be a tomorrow.
EA intially looked like they were treating Star Wars like a Battlefield reskin with FIFA transactions. When I played as the heroes, I didn't feel like a hero.
However I did in Fallen Order, for me they got that right.
So I guess I am really saying I hope we have more Spider-Man and Witcher 3, and less Avengers and Battlefront from the big companies?
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Soapbox: Kentucky Route Zero Was a Game Made Specifically For Me
Thanks for the great article, you've sold me on it ; will pick it up now.
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@Col_McCafferty
From a personal point of view, I think it's more when something is huge , or respected (Modern Warfare/Grand Theft Auto/Fallout 4/whatever). It's more the fact for a while the influence means you get a lot more of the same style but never quite as good.
Like after the MCU, everything has to be an intertwined Universe. Universal tried a "Monsters Universe" and it was pants.
It's not having a "Universe" that made the MCU great, it was a part of it.
Just as it's not being an open world RPG that made Spider-Man, W3 and Tsushima great, it's part of it.
I guess at some point, even the MCU and Open World action RPGs will stagnate, I'd like to think companies are working on the next big idea, rather than their spin on an existing/borrowed template.
Not complaining, more "familiarity breeds contempt".
Like Taken was great , then Liam Neeson seemingly remade it 37 times, with "It's Liam Neeson, but in the snow" being the last one I saw.
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@PossibLeigh
Totally agreed. A lot of time the plot gets undermined by the lack of thought in an open world design and you can often just stop caring. Fallout 4 was classic; "SOMEONE TOOK MY BABY! Well, I guess they'll be ok for several months while I comb the map looking for all the Power Armours to become Tony Stark of the post Apocalypse. I guess at some point I'll go find out what happened to my son. Maybe. Maybe not.".
EDIT > I should say I spent countless hours in the game becoming the Tony Stark of the post Apocalypse, but I never finished it ; The metroidvania style of Fallen Order was a nice balance of exploration and freedom for me. I hope we'll have more games in that manner.
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@GamingVeteran
Intersting take because I'd swing the other way and have said that Tsushima is the best example of a very very tired genre that I have a dwindling interest in. I tried AC: Odyssey this year and thought it was fine, but nothing I hadn't played before and story wasn't pulling me in.
It's all subjective but with Tsushima I found the gameplay to be a very satisfying refinement of the Batman model in that it's easy to pick up, but there is something to master.
The open world collectables were be a decent version of the Ubi-Towers. The side quests to be in TW3 vein of contemplative morality tales/funny asides.The art and sound direction were gorgeous meaning it was genuinely pleasant to be in the world.
The throttled opening of the map was lifted from Grand Theft Auto, but done well.
The loading times have spoiled me to the point when playing FFVII remake, waiting for the game to catch up to Cloud for that second or so pause before the action/cutscene happens actually sticks out far more than it should.
On that note, the game felt epic and understated at the same time. The initial beach charge felt amazing, in contrast Cloud's first motorcycle ride / duel felt borderline silly at times. It was how I felt about the Metal Gear Solid cutscenes compared to The Twin Snakes. I preferred the original because for me sometimes, less is more.
Certainly agree "we'll do an open world RPG" and (for me) "destiny esque Game as a service" are getting worn out though. We had it before when seemingly everything was a first person military shooter post CoD, or a before that "run around and do some crime" after GTA became huge.
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@Gamer83
Streets of Rage 4 was definitely one of my most anticipated games for any long time and they absolutely delivered.
Really hope for a sequel, Golden Axe, or preferably both!
Re: Game of the Year: Push Square Readers' Top 10 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@Col_McCafferty
Remain/Leave went on for four years, but I think gamers can do much better and grind TLOU2 out for at least the end of the PS5 cycle.
It's got the same critics/elite vs people/populist backbone at heart , but it also has that added passion of fandom fuelling it; Food standards, freedom of movement and employee rights are all very well and good, but they are not everyday concerns like video games.
The inevitable PS5 specific update will be a fantastic chance for a robust, healthy objective debate while we are all unemployed eating chlorinated chicken in our lead paint lined walled rooms/enjoying all the free time of our golden age utopia after liberation from the EUSSR.
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
@kyleforrester87 @Col_McCafferty @Cornaboyzzz
I think some of the issue is, for example God of War and Uncharted never grabbed me quite in the same way they grabbed others but you'd have to really be hard pressed to not see the objective quality.
I played this through, finishing a couple of days ago and honestly haven't seen anything that warranted the mass "0/10" user score stuff.
I can always respect a well reasoned, polite argument and infact I love this game because there is so much to talk about with people willing to talk about it, whether they loved it or hated it.
Always thought if you don't discuss things, and take on other valid points, how can you ever refine and improve your own world view, or understand others?
I have seen people say variations of "I didn't like the story at all, technically it was amazing though" or "was good but not in my top 5 this year" and that seems pretty sensible to me.
Outside of that kind of opinion, this game does feel like when the BBC airs something and there are five complaints.
The Daily Mail comes out the next day telling people of my parents age why they should be angry and suddenly the BBC has thousands of complaints from people that didn't even watch the program.
Edit> Not saying anyone in particular is in that category, just that's the real issue (pile on culture)
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
@Col_McCafferty
Apologies, I've edited and chopped all the sequel talk.
I probably should have learnt to do the spoiler tag stuff way before now; will do better next time.
Curious though, at what point can you talk about a game and it not be "spoilers"? Or is the etiquette to just always hide stuff?
Apologies,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
@AdamNovice
For me Lev was naive and childlike. He offered the same perspective that Ellie had in the first game, but was sweet and sensitive, whereas Ellie was a bit more foul mouthed and mischievous. Both were still on the side of childlike innocence at the start though, and had a protector who saw to protect and preserve that, partly out of personal redemption.
I didn't hate what Joel did in the first game, he was a complex person in a crappy world. Ultimately he did what every single person you encounter did in a crumbled society, what was best for them.
He loved Ellie as a surrogate daughter and didn't want to live in a world without her, this was foreshadowed with Henry and Sam. At that part of the story Joel was "mid turn", he understood where Henry was because of Sarah and he'd "buried it deep and moved on", but he didn't care enough about Ellie yet to consider if he could suffer such a loss again.
I think Joel is the villain in the same way the protagonist of "I am Legend" is the villain, not evil or bad, possibly even heroic and virtuous at the same time.
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
@fR_eeBritney @nessisonett
That's actually why I mentioned it, at the time I felt probably how a lot of people felt about The Last of Us 2 now. I thought the game was great but I wanted to play as Snake, I didn't hate it though, I gather some did.
I think now, I'd be more tolerable of what they were trying to do and appreciate it more, even if I'd still rather have played as Snake.
I would have loved another Joel and Ellie adventure in my heart but I guess it's my head telling me that narratively the way they went probably made more sense.
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
@fR_eeBritney
Just out of curiosity, how did you feel about Metal Gear Solid 2? (Not the expected role of beloved protagonist)
Most of the time we play video games or watch movies for escapism so our heroes going on and on and on through sequels is great; we almost subconsciously expect the happy ending and look for the twists that take us there.
I honestly saw Joel as the villain at the end of The Last of Us, though I still loved him as a character. I could see how people saw him as heroic though.
I think the problem you can possibly get with some games like Assassin's Creed or Call of Duty, or even Star Wars and the MCU films now is that when things get bound by a winning formula that doesn't rock the boat, you end up with just polished iterations of the same thing and they can feel samey or repetitive eventually.
When you are free to create you might have a hit (Joker) and a miss (Justice League) or a maybe (Wonder Woman 84) but at least they are interesting, to me anyway.
Always subscribed to the Alan Moore ideology of "create your art and let it find it's audience, rather than writing for an audience because you can't please everyone anyway".
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Game of the Year: #1 - The Last of Us: Part II
Art should be divisive, entertainment can happily be middle of the road.
This was a piece of art and a high point for the medium of video games.
Any other year of PS4, Tsushima takes the crown by far for me and I'm a Kurosawa fan, so I do not say that lightly. I think those two were miles ahead of the rest of this year's AAA games (that I've played). What a way to end the generation!
This was crafted so well, like Kojima Naughty Dog care about the little details and the gameplay loop was fantastic.
Like Kojima also, you can debate to death the plot and whether it's genius or rubbish, but you absolutely can't take away the respect the medium is given and the effort put in from the Developer.
Hopefully they'll stay the course and do something divisive again with part 3 if it ever happens.
Re: Feature: 12 PS5, PS4 Predictions for 2021
@fR_eeBritney
Sounds like a game of the year to me.
Re: Game of the Year: #3 - Ghost of Tsushima
@Bazooka
I thought the side quests were often Witcher style musings on the dark hearts of men rather than "chase 5 chickens". I enjoyed them, even the random ones.
Re: Game of the Year: #3 - Ghost of Tsushima
I love Tsushima; it's quite possibly the best open world game going and I'm surprised it's not #2.
If #2 is Final Fantasy VII Remake then I picked the a great trio to end the year after starting it today, following on from Tsushima and TLOU2!
Re: Game of the Year: #3 - Ghost of Tsushima
@Jimmer-jammer
I thought the sub quests were a particular highlight as well, the Tomoe and Norio quests were nice mirrors to how your actions may be perceived by others.
Re: Game of the Year: John's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@InsertGoodName
I thought the message was more that people are complex, or varying degrees of good and evil depending greatly on the paradigm of the people judging the actions.
This is different to the simple "protagonist=good, antagonist=bad" in most games.
To a certain degree, Joel, Ellie and Abby were all dehumanised by loss and did terrible things. Joel however regained his humanity and became father he always wanted to be, before his past caught back up with him when his guard was down.
Ellie and Abby lost more than they gained in trying to avenge their father's death but at the very last moment tried to break the cycle of violence in the collapsed/rebuilding society they lived in. Again, this was different to the usual "beating the boss=good ending" in games.
I thought it was interesting and thought provoking, I understand that a lot of the upset gamers would have preferred the status quo. However, I didn't really notice the race angle myself?
Thanks,
RPE83
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4) - The Single Biggest Disappointment of the PS4 Generation
@DonJorginho
At this stage, arguing whether it's the top end of awful, or the middle of average seems to probably justify the "biggest disappointment of the generation" by itself.
@KingPev
As with a lot of these things, it's not the disappointment that doesn't sell, it's the next release after that shows the consequences.
Re: Poll: Did You Request a Cyberpunk 2077 Refund on PS5, PS4?
@jess3a3
I'm curious; what's your criteria when selecting your game of the year?