Comments 5,878

Re: Reaction: PS5 Needs a Price Cut

Rob_230

All a moot point once GTA 6 comes out. Gamers still on PS4 will buy into PS5 in large numbers.

The other point is Sony need to release more must have first party games. Titles like a last of us 3 or a ghost of tsushima will move consoles and is the cure to the online rhetoric thay ps5 has no games

Can't see console price falling - at least not any time soon. Market forces won't allow it currently

Re: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth PS5 Sales Still a Secret as Square Enix Reports Year-on-Year Decline

Rob_230

Stuff like foamstars won't have helped, which by all accounts doesn't seem to have performed well.

Ff7 rebirth is an interesting one. Square have to have know sales would be lower on PS5 given the install base vs PS4, and the relative impact that covid had on increased game sales. Plus with Sony's financial backing, I think the doom and gloom around the game's performance is probably overstated.

I finally finished Rebirth on Thursday and certainly there are issues with the game. Some of the boss battles were questionable imo, and certain elements of the game problematic (too much bloat detracted from the story), to the point it won't be my GOTY sadly. But it's still a fantastic game and it's clear to see how much hard work went into it and i am very much looking forward to seeing how the trilogy wraps things up in this slightly alternative reality.

As for what's next, I just can't wait for FF9 remake to be announced. I hope it gets the care and attention it deserves to do it justice

Re: Bungie Accused of Overselling Itself to Sony, Promising Success It Couldn't Deliver

Rob_230

We all said this when it happened. Mind boggling really. Shows that Sony should have stuck to what they knew which was acquiring long term development partners rather than chasing the live service dream. They will be ruing this for years to come.

That money would - in my opinion - have been much better spent investing in growing their existing studios so the likes of naughty dog had capacity to work on both single player ip and factions; or on tying up third party support with the likes of Sega or Square Enix to beef up those partnerships (not necessarily aquisition) which served them so well during the PS4 generation

Or even supporting those smaller Japanese developers like level 5, spike chunsoft, or falcom who would really benefit from additional publisher support.

Bonkers really

Re: Bungie to Lay Off 220 Workers, Will Be Further Integrated into Sony

Rob_230

Sony and Bungie was never a natural fit and felt like a colossal waste of money.

Yet it sounds like Sony is generally doing right by the studio (albeit its always sad to hear of layoffs).

I don't think this aquisition business where the parent company doesn't properly integrate the subsidary company ever really works so I'm not entirely shocked this is where we got to.

Sony has always taken a coordinated and collaborative approach to its first party studios, yet Bungie was a very clear outlier so I don't see how it could ever really work.

It does sound like this was a Bungie management issue rather than a Sony issue - but it will be interesting to see how things evolve.

Re: It Doesn't Sound Like Braid: Anniversary Edition Quite Set the World on Fire

Rob_230

Didn't braid rely on a unique for the time gameplay loop and sell itself on a storyline twist which most people are now aware of?

The market has moved on, and I feel there are more games that have built on braid's mechanics since its initial release.

It feels like one remaster too many. I haven't heard people asking for a rerelease of Braid anywhere, so it's hardly a shock that it hasn't sold well.

Re: Poll: Is the Astro Bot PS5 Controller the Best DualSense Yet?

Rob_230

I'll get this and I have the spidey one (which was more due to promising my son) - but my biggest regret is not getting the God of war one. I thought that was gorgeous- I loved the blue. So this is probably a close second. I love the design (although less enamoured with the eyes on the touch pad).

That will mean I have the traditional white, Spidey, this, and my daughters pink one. I think after that I will have to stop 😅 I do like the retro vibes of the concord one mind

Re: Poll: Are You Sick of Soulslike Games?

Rob_230

Can't stand them, won't buy them, and never will.

And that's fine. I'm happy that gamers that are interested in this genre of game are well served, in the same way I am enjoying the renaissance of JRPG titles.

My issue does come however when souls like mechanics get shoehorned into every title where they don't feel necessary just because it's the trend of the day. It becomes exhausting.

Re: Gacha Spinoff Persona 5: The Phantom X Coming to Console, with More on the Way

Rob_230

My God I am so on the hook with Persona 5. I absolutely love the characters and the world. But I'm not sure about this one.

The music in the trailer does pull me immediately back in to that world but there seem to be a lot of reused environmental assets - and I'm not into Gacha games at all. I steer clear of those almost as much as I do souls-likes. I don't think this one is for me

I disagree with the argument that Persona 6 is further away because of this title though. This is being made by a completely different developer and the thing holding up a new Persona is surely the fact that Persona Team has been working on Metaphor Re:Fantazio

Re: 'PlayStation's Blessed with Marketing Budgets We're Not Able to Enjoy,' Xbox Bigwig Bemoans

Rob_230

O boo hoo. How on earth can they make such ludicrous comments like:

"We adopt what I would call a more fiscally responsible approach to media investments"

Perhaps if Microsoft invested in advertising they wouldn't be in third place. They have no-one but themselves for not diverting a bigger proportion of their budget into the media side of things. It's called growing your business. To criticise Sony for that is madness. It's almost like Sony has to spend more on advertising to make up for the fact Microsoft is buying up half the industry.

It's nonsense like this which is why I actively dislike Microsoft and will never buy into their ecosystem. It's pathetic. They are one of the richest companies in the world. Get your house in order.

I'm sure this playing pauper has nothing to do with the fact FTC is calling them out for broken promises over the Activision blizzard merger either...

Truly pathetic

Re: Doubt Cast Over PS5 Pro Actually Releasing This Year

Rob_230

@WhiteRabbit Thanks!!! Have you found any problems with screen burn etc? That is my one fear - though I will say I've never had a problem with PS Vita or my Switch OLED.

It should feel like a big jump. I can't justify upgrading often (and my wife won't let me more to the point 😅) so I have been rocking a 1080p Sony from 2012. It's been a great TV but you can tell it is starting to reach end of life.

I have heard about screen glare so I think the blinds will be getting a good workout during the day!

Re: Doubt Cast Over PS5 Pro Actually Releasing This Year

Rob_230

@WhiteRabbit Thank you. I'm genuinely intrigued to see how much of a jump it will be for some of my favourite PS5 games!

I picked up the LG C3 (48"). Been hearing people talk for years about how good the C series is for gaming so decided to take the plunge. Hoping it lives up to the hype!!

Re: Doubt Cast Over PS5 Pro Actually Releasing This Year

Rob_230

Nothing stopping them announcing it at TGS and dropping in October for Christmas - with that said, i wouldn't be surprised to see a pro model dropped to release alongside GTA6.

I still don't feel the need for a pro though and won't be getting one unless my PS5 breaks. Then again, I'm probably not the target market given I only upgraded to my first 4k tv yesterday 😅 Can't wait for it to arrive.

Re: Talking Point: Was Sony Right to Resist Adding PS5 Exclusives to PS Plus Day One?

Rob_230

People investing in gamepass need to really think about the value at $20 a month. That is $240 a year. If Microsoft only release 3 first party titles a year, that would cost $210 if you were to buy them outright at an assumed cost of $70 (and that assumes you can't buy them cheaper at physical stores, and you want all 3).

Microsoft's output each year has never been fantastic so it's unlikely you would see many more than 3 first party games you would want to play so there is alot of reliance on third party deals to bolster the line up - which recently look to have been a little weaker as developers either move away from subscription, or ask for more money than Microsoft is willing to pay upfront.

I just don't think the model is sustainable and it will be interesting to see how this goes. I expect many will migrate to gamepass pc which is cheaper (without the paid online requirement too).

Either way, Sony was absolutely correct not to drop its day 1 titles into PS Plus. They cost too much too make and the company would soon be on its knees if it followed microsoft's example as Sony simply can't afford to prop playstation up in the same way

Re: Poll: Can a Game's Brutal Difficulty Put You Off Playing It?

Rob_230

@Llamageddon Thanks for that. I'll certainly keep my fingers crossed and keep watching impression videos and previews etc.

I do think with some of these titles there is an element of journalists and commentators (not accusing push square of this btw) needing to avoid taking the easy option of simply slapping a souls tag on everything in their reporting, when it's probably not a fair comparison

Re: Poll: Can a Game's Brutal Difficultly Put You Off Playing It?

Rob_230

@JalapenoSpiceLife haha it happens every generation to the point it does get boring, doesn't it?

  • PS1 was probably survival horror and JRPGs
  • Ps2 was the era of the 3d platformer
  • Ps3 was the era of the first person shooter
  • Ps4 was the era of the walking sim and metroidvania

And now we are where we are with souls-likes and live service games. Does make me wonder what PS6 generation will look like 🤔

My goodness, don't give them ideas 😅 Overcooked 3 - eat your soul edition

Re: Poll: Can a Game's Brutal Difficultly Put You Off Playing It?

Rob_230

As a parent to 2 young children, and limited free time due to life and work commitments, I won't buy difficult games anymore . I just don't have time to dedicate to learning how to master them. I've bounced quickly off every souls game and souls-like game. That doesn't mean I don't like a challenge - I do, but I want to feel I am making progress in an evening.

With that said, not every game has to cater for everyone, and there are plenty of other games out there that I can have a great time with so I don't think developers should have to hinder their vision if they want to make a difficult game.

My only caveat is that currently, souls-likes appear to be the genre of choice, so I am getting a little frustrated seeing some awesome looking games like black myth wukong and phantom blade zero and feeling like I won't be able to play them.

Re: Poll: One Year Later, What Are Your Thoughts on Final Fantasy 16?

Rob_230

It's a fantastic game. The music is unreal (dare I say leaps ahead of much of Rebirth) - although I didn't vibe with the Titan boss battle music.

The Eikon battles were spectacular - if a little basic in terms of the mechanics.

I loved the story and the characters, and the battle system was a lot of fun (not sure I want it for all of my FF games, but I enjoyed it for this).

Definitely a few flaws - the side quests were generally pretty dull - go here, kill this - when there would have been an opportunity to try something a bit different to add even a little levity into proceedings - although I did like how finishing these helped the hideaway to grow.

And at least the single moogle in the game actually.... looked...like...a...moogle (seriously, what are those things in FF7 Rebirth? Nightmare fuel!)

A great game that I will definitely be returning to.

Re: Sony Game LEGO Horizon Adventures Reveals Footage in Nintendo Direct

Rob_230

That Nintendo direct was excellent. Combined with the Xbox showcase it's really shown up how poor Sony has become with its communication and marketing. I've pencilled in a handful of games that are more than likely day 1 buys. Slightly surprised not to see Final Fantasy 9 Remake - So I'll foolishly hold onto the hope that Sony still has a showcase planned for later in the year.

Re: Xbox Bigwig Confirms Many More Microsoft Games Are Coming to PS5

Rob_230

I think its an inevitability. When you watched the showcase yesterday, I think everything other than MGS was labelled as coming day 1 to gamepass. I don't see a future where that can be sustainable, unless Microsoft supplement development costs through sales on Playstation. Gamepass simply doesn't have enough subscribers, and growth seems to have plateued. It's Microsoft's only option, short of shuttering studios because at the end of the day, they are a business, not a charity and need to be profiting off these releases

Re: PS5 Fans Beg Sony for a More Fulfilling Livestream in the Aftermath of Xbox Show

Rob_230

Give Microsoft their flowers. It was a very well put together show. It was well paced, had a good variety of games (something for everyone - although did slightly lean too far into their image of old in terms of the genre of game they are known for), and - crucially- gave xbox owners an idea of what else is coming this generation. That was exactly what Microsoft needed. Another flub and that was it for them, but I am genuinely seeing enthusiasm online and rightly so.

Personally I find these kind of shows build hype and excitement - and I would love Sony to put out something similar

Re: PS5 Hardware Architect Says It May Take Less Time to Build a Console Than a Game Now

Rob_230

Shawn Layden warned about this years ago. It would have been fascinating to see a Sony under his control and how it would have developed. Developer scope has blown out of control and gamer expectations with it.

Sony should have diversified to release more titles like uncharted lost legacy and Spiderman miles morales, and Ratchet and Clank that could be put out more regularly. Back in the PS2 days, Astrobot would never have been described as a 'smaller' title - but it has been tagged with that brush despite looking like a fully fledged ps studios banger.

These big games are getting just way too big imo. It's almost impossible to get through stuff

Re: Even as a LEGO Game, Horizon Adventures' PS5 Visuals Are Off the Charts

Rob_230

@get2sammyb Yes I totally agree. I've already ordered Astro and will be ordering this as soon as pre orders go live. Sony needs to see that a variety of different experiences will sell - beyond their usual output (ironically I bet this will sell huge numbers on switch - genuinely curious about what impact that will have on Sony's thinking for other titles with crossover appeal)

The last week has shown the fun, colourful side of Sony that has been missing for a while (since Japan studio shuttered)