Ralizah

Soulslikes, like hunting games (of the MonHun variety), are more likely to just make me want to go back and play the inspiration. I have very mixed feelings about FromSoftware's output, but they obviously excel at the design fundamentals that they popularized in the first place in a way that imitators rarely do.

@Boxmonkey Exactly my thoughts. I feel like a LOT of people play something like this, enjoy it for a while, get bored with doing the same thing over and over, and move on. There are some games I absolutely love, but I know if I played them constantly for years I'd lose interest.

I'm not saying those people who enjoy riding the same bike for years obviously aren't out there, but as has been said before, most of them have already been captured by older and more established live service ventures.

Live service games all have a time limit of some sort, though. Even the almighty Fortnite has been falling off a bit recently. Years pass, people and tastes change, and what was the hotness one year becomes passé the next. I feel like the single-player game model better fits the longer-term realities of a constantly shifting marketplace, instead of having a product that is inherently more and more limited over time by its own core design elements. No amount of celebrity or brand crossovers can account for that.

I think those are reasonable compromises to lower the inevitable sticker shock of the PS6. The thing is going to be wildly expensive to manufacture even if things do start going in the right direction (which I don't expect they will). Probably to the point where it'll be unreasonably expensive even if Sony sells it at a loss.

Have a stripped down SKU for the mass market, and then a pricier one with a disc drive and more space for the core gamer crowd.

Nope. That's insanity. No console is worth that price.

@Scottyy I don't see how it's hypocritical, considering the article was discussing titles that were being ported to other platforms besides the PS5. That's multiplatform by definition. Crying about games not hitting PS5 when they were never promised a release is port-begging behavior.

@AnginaPectoris Or gives more teeth to that report that suggested that Sony's games would sell MUCH better on PC if they weren't ported years after the fact for full price.

@AdamNovice Not really. If a publisher that had been releasing games on PS5 suddenly decided to just stop outright, you'd be seeing this same behavior from Sony fans. Heck, we JUST got a PS5 port begging article on here not long ago about some old Square Enix games that weren't getting ported to PlayStation. It's a pretty natural thing to be irritated about.

That said, at the rate that Sony is shuttering its studios, I'm not sure how much there'll be to port to PC in the future regardless. 😂

It's wild to bang this drum after laughing at random PC gamers for being disappointed about Sony dropping support for their platform. Very fanboyish. 🙄

Wasn't there just an article excoriating random PC gamers for port begging?

This IS a multiplatform release, for the record. It's on everything but PS5. Sort of like how many multiplats in the past have skipped Nintendo or Xbox.

If a popular company put its games on PS5 for years then randomly decided to stop, y'all would be hollering too. 🙄

It's Sony's right to do this (and probably the right call if they don't want to end up like Microsoft), but don't act like it's weird for at least a few people to be annoyed by this decision.

Sony should never have started porting its games over in the first place.

Nintendo's priority with the recent Zelda games was to make expansive, ambitious sandboxes that allowed for creativity and unpredictable emergent gameplay. Everything else was subsumed by this gameplay focus. So the climbing mechanic made sense in the context of this game design philosophy.

I've only played Tsushima, but that game and world was almost the opposite. The open world was largely just a lot of pleasant scenery, with the focus being more on the presentation and narrative. The world itself wasn't really interactive or rewarding to engage with in its own right, so giving the player more freedom to do so wouldn't have made sense.

I LOVE BotW, but a lot of what it accomplished was unique to itself (and its sequel), and I wouldn't really want other developers trying to ape aspects of its design when it wouldn't make sense in the context of the larger game they're creating.

There's obviously value in porting to PC, but there's arguably more value in protecting your brand by not devaluing your hardware and ecosystem.

This gen is a bit of a wash for me console-wise, considering how many years worth of games have made the jump, but I do think it'll be good for them to go into the PS6 with this renewed console focus.

It's a pretty remake, but for a modern game, I hate how... 'heavy' Mio feels to control. Her movement is very stiff and weighted, which I feel contrasts poorly with the increased difficulty of this version of the game.

That being said, very little out there manages to be as consistently creepy and atmospheric as a good Fatal Frame game, so I'll probably still grab this. If nothing else, I hope this sells enough to justify a remake of the original, which is still my favorite entry to date.

@PercyChuggs "People who buy consoles solely for platform exclusives are living in the 90s"

Or, you know... they want to play platform exclusives.

Most people buy Nintendo consoles for Nintendo exclusives. And if they hadn't ported 70% of this gen's games to PC, I probably would have eventually invested in a PS5 as well.

Not the biggest fan of this duology, but it doesn't deserve to be lost to time. I'd love for a bunch of Atlus' older stuff to be brought back to modern platforms.

@BlaizeV Translated remasters of the PS1 versions of the first two SMT games would be incredible!

Code Veronica was my RE4. Would absolutely love a proper remake that smooths out that game's rough edges.

It's the name of a style of painting, right? Obviously extremely thematically appropriate for Expedition 33, but it's gonna look bad if they start bullying other creators into avoiding the term.

I mean, yeah, Steam stats aren't gonna tell you how things are going on other platforms, but they do generally reveal the truth of a game's popularity. Games will do better on some platforms than others, but if a game is failing to attract any sort of audience on Steam, you'll probably see that reflected in usage stats on other platforms as well. As you've pointed out, being more popular on PS5 wasn't enough to stop this game from bleeding money and ultimately being shut down, so it feels like this article is sort of self-refuting.

"I think it expected to tempt PC players back to its own brand by introducing them to tentpole titles like God of War and The Last of Us. If anything, it’s actually trained them to wait."

I mean... yeah. PC-only gamers aren't generally unaware of these exclusives, they simply aren't enough to motivate them to purchase expensive hardware to play a small handful of titles. Waiting is the default. First Microsoft, then Sony porting their games to PC taught PC gamers that if they wait long enough, they can play everything on Steam.

The fact that people making six figures advising Sony on this issue couldn't pretty quickly figure this out is a little depressing. Then again, Sony also apparently had people on-board who expected Concord to be a Star Wars-level IP lol

If Sony wants people to invest in their ecosystem, I don't think it makes sense to give them the option to engage with their content outside of said ecosystem. It's a HUGE reason why I skipped buying a Playstation console this generation.

I don't really see where they can go from Uncharted 4, to be honest. And Nate Drake got off pretty easy for a modern Druckmann game. Let it be.

Unsurprising. While they don't tell the entire story, the Steam all time player peak for this game dwarfed all of their previous, extremely successful RE launches on PC. Heck, it topped MH World's fairly monstrous all time player peak figure as well.

And while it's obviously selling less on Switch 2, that's still another platform for it to move units on.

The sales for this game, once the dust has settled, are going to be absurd.

Good move. I'm guessing the sequel will likely come to PC day one. They'll want to build off the success of the port of the original.

Didn't get in. No big. Have plenty of other stuff to play anyway.

There's blood in the water when it comes to projects like this now. Particularly considering the art-style, character designs, etc. Highguard also highlighted the dangers of having game design/balance issues at launch for a live service game.

This needs to be ret-2-go at launch. If they don't put their best foot forward, it'll just be another expensive flop for Sony.

For that price, you should get a full soundtrack with it.

Second Chapter is SO much better than the previous game. People are gonna love this.

The demo was superb. This series feels less childish and more high-production value with each successive sequel.

NieR: Automata feels like it was written by someone with a deep and abiding love for the cultural and thematic legacy of Evangelion, so it's a good fit.

Hopefully this is better than those Rebuild films.

Consoles typically peak late in life like this. Sale prices have been decent, and there's plenty of software out for the system that's compelling.

The lack of any big games announced for Switch 2 probably doesn't help either.

More closures and layoffs are likely to come. Playstation is effectively an American brand now, which means a focus on making investors happy with short-term profits, a focus on live-service products, AAA productions with excessively bloated budgets, and irresponsible patterns of mass hiring and mass layoffs.

You should feel the same pit in your stomach when Sony announces an acquisition as when Microsoft does.

I've thought about re-investing in the Playstation ecosystem, because I enjoy many aspects of it, but this just reminds me of why I left. The brand barely resembles the Playstation I loved in the mid-90s through the mid-2010s, and barring a seismic shift in leadership and corporate priorities, probably won't ever go back to the way it was.

Unsurprising. Being the first chapter in an alienatingly long story-driven saga, this was the perfect opportunity to expand their player-base: it's the ideal jumping on point for new fans, gives existing console-only fans a way to experience the first chapter of the saga, and provides long-time Sky fans with a beautiful journey through a classic story.

It also represents a pretty dramatic jump in terms of production values compared to other games in the series.

Hopefully Trails in the Sky the 3rd is also in the works so console-only gamers have a way to access every entry in the series.

Oh man, yeah, I thought it was co-op from the start as well. Was gonna grab this to play with my boyfriend, but nevermind lol

I think this was a mistake. People who play co-op games often want to only play those co-op, and a lot of single-player gamers aren't going to care about a co-op feature at all. Not saying everyone feels this way, but I think the reaction you're already seeing is evidence they're alienating a portion of their potential playerbase.

Yeah, that was a fantastic State of Play. A little light on the first party announcements, but the third party stuff made up for it.

Easy 8.5 - 9/10

That's... pretty bad for a visual novel like this. Considering how limited a format a visual novel is in comparison to a normal game, the art becomes an arguably even more important component of its identity.

The time to upgrade and replace AI illustrations and textures is prior to launch.

This sounds ridiculous in a very good way.

I really don't need another insanely long SRPG in my life with The Hundred Line going right now, but depending on the price, I might just have to grab it anyway.

Some of those character designs are... 😬

Not a huge fan of the generic Fortnite art-style either

I like Horizon, though, and have been wanting to get into a live service game, and the modes look like they could be decent fun, so I'll probably try it out.

Already pre-ordered on Steam. Can't wait to try this demo out!

I actually don't care all that much (still haven't played more than a few hours of GTA V), but it is funny to me how people on here keep wanting to loudly signal disinterest in what is going to be the biggest release of the decade by a country mile.

The trailer looked really good. I could see this massively boosting PS5 Pro sales if it runs particularly well on that machine.

@nessisonett It is striking how much the Cold Steel-era games resemble something from a mid-00s anime where the characters are all incredibly generic looking, everyone is in love with the protagonist, and there's always at least one obnoxious lesbian who sexually assaults her closest friend for laughs.

I wish they'd remake the entire series. It's gonna be rough going from this fantastic looking engine to Cold Steel 1 & 2 lol

It's pretty crazy how viable Switch 2 is as a modern gaming platform now. It can run the vast majority of games. New AAA stuff is dropping on it day one and running natively. Obviously support won't be as universal as on PS5, but we're so far away from the early days of the Switch where fans had to plead for companies to release their games on the system.

@xshinox They're... doing just that. They just also have their own console option for people who want it. But they're effectively a third-party publisher now.

@ButterySmooth30FPS @RoomWithaMoose I feel like the cultural impact of review aggregation websites has been a net negative overall. It singles out unpopular opinions on products, which discourages people from engaging as critically with entries in beloved properties (people who critique popular games or movies more harshly are harassed online for 'depriving' something of a higher score, as with Jim Sterling and BotW, and are often not treated as well by publishers who routinely glaze their titles) and encourages people to ignore niche products that don't review as well. That's not even to mention how many developers' bonuses seem to depend on hitting a certain metacritic threshold, making it where being more properly critical of something comes at the risk of being blamed for people being paid less.

The entire thing is so toxic.

No game is entitled to a good review. Reviewers should feel safe to express their experience with a game without fear of retribution. And reviews are just opinions, and should be treated as such.

No offense to Mr. Vincke, but he doesn't need to grow a 'callus on his soul,' he just needs to understand that rejection is a part of life. Not everybody is going to like the products you publish, and that's okay.

I feel like this would just result in even more harassment of reviewers who engage in wrongthink and pan popular titles like Uncharted, Breath of the Wild, Expedition 33, etc.

@Mattock1987 Danganronpa is absolutely a dialogue heavy adventure game and not a pure visual novel.

Absolutely stellar co-op game. Already nearly 100%'d it, though, so new content will be appreciated.

Alt. article title: "Preview: Ignore The Haters, Highguard Is a Good PS5 Shooter We Can't Wait to Play More Of"

@Balaam_ E33 has far better music and storytelling, and isn't as horribly optimized as Elden Ring.

That said, I liked The Witcher 3 and BotW more than either of those games. Shrug We all have opinions.

Bioware just fundamentally seems to be out of touch with their players in general. I mean, their three most recent original games were Mass Effect Andromeda, this, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard. These aren't poorly made games. They're just not what people wanted to play.

This is why it's important to know your audience and not sacrifice your identity in pursuit of greater mainstream appeal. If you are doing well the thing that sets you apart from your peers, whatever that is, people will hear about you.

@nessisonett I own it on Steam, so I might try the original version someday, but given my irritation at times even with the games that have better action combat, I can only imagine how much a game filled with continuously blocking enemies would enrage me.

Haven't heard similar complaints about 4 - 6, though, so I'll probably just play the originals of those, even if they make a Kiwami 4 next.

Glad I held off on playing Yakuza 3 Remastered after the prologue. The combat sounds bad enough to make me hate the game.

I allowed myself to buy into online hype, being a fan of horror and horror games in general, and bought this digitally at launch. Never doing that for a game from a developer I have no experience with again. I really didn't like it, and even having gone back and actually beaten it years later, it's still a game I have little love for.

Played a bit of the demo last night. It's rough in a lot of ways and would heavily benefit from visual polishing and script rewriting, but I'm sold on the core experience of it being indie Parasite Eve.