As others have already said, a confusing answer when you look at say The Warriors which certainly wasn't open world either, but was certainly a nice movie spin off by Rockstar!
Unfortunately the PS3 certainly drew the short straw from Rockstar during that period missing out on Bully Scolarship Edition, timed exclusive GTA IV DLC & the somewhat visually inferior RDR port common of the era when the 360 was treated as the "lead" dev platform by most third parties.
Can recall the EA Bond games of the PS2 era though not as fun as Splinter Cell or Hitman, still had their charm with driving sections, using Bond gadgets & some typical blowing things up...just can't help but think Rockstar were a bit more sidetracked that their heart really wasn't into doing Agent when GTA IV was beckoning & RDR & LA Noire both experiencing development issues that drew Rockstar into both more than initially planned. π€
@joey302 Morally with you 100%! As to why? Dunno what's the situation on licensing with Saturn between the bios & emulation needed for consoles,but looking at sites like GOG where the likes of Populus,First Samurai, North vs South etc., will feature PC or Console versions & other old Amiga emulated listing's like Cinemaware's classics got delisted the Amiga licensed re-releases are few & far between & seemingly a mess. Pretty sure the recently announced The A1200 had been in limbo for quite some time due to all the mess the ownership of OS/tech rights!π
Makes me annoyed seeing the Amiga versions often left out of compilations as a result of ligitious "owners" whom had nothing to do with the original tech or games to begin with!
I do recall the odd Amiga preview BITD but never saw it in action & half thought it never came out on after Commodore went belly up. Did eventually play it on rental on PS1 but vaguely recall having better fun with the likes of Motor Toon Grand Prix 2, or the odd NFS, V Rally, & then Twisted Metal World Tour * Gran Turismo...will be curious to see some of the other ports but sounds like a shame about some of the missing ones not included here.
Oh well, better than the FMV ones that were mentioned with the LRG announcement!
If LRG want to put earlier Megadrive CD era games on modern gens could they at least pick decent to good ones?!π Can think of the Misadventures of Flink (also had an Amiga CD32 port),& the same team went onto the Adventures of Lomax on PS1 also a fun platform action romp.
Core Design also did a few Mega CD games like Soulstar & Thunderhawk, along with others that had their origins on Amiga at the time like the Heimdall series, Jaguar racing, Chuck Rock & Bubba & Stix to name some...all fairly obscure & forgotten today but likely to have more playability than some of their latest announcements.π
Whilst we all have our preferences,eg PS1: Alundra, Adventures of Lomax, Colony Wars, Wing Commander 3 & 4,Discworld series, PSP Ultimate Ghosts'n'Goblins, EA Classics compilation of Desert Strike, Wing Commander, PS2: SSX Series,NFS Underground 1 & 2, Splinter Cell series, Maximo Quest for Glory & Army of Zin, GTA LCS & VCS.....the biggest gripes I'd have about Sony's PS Classics program is the lack of will/budget chasing after third parties & how they could take notes on how GOG encourage their audience to wishlist requests, which no guarantee, but its a means to prod publishers into getting into their archives & seeing what's possible!
So...on one hand ragnarok has finally hit...but given Microsoft's current direction hope for the fans it hasn't been left to H.A.L the A.I. assistant to handle the PS5 port & the black hole that is the Unreal Engine that swallows up frames per second like they're appetisers at a party!
The potential sounds promising even if a glorified Visual Novel when its compared to the likes of TWD adventures.π€
@ShogunRok No real consequences for who's dispatched to whatever "rescue" then? Can recall in the original "This is the Police" you could lose rookies if they didn't have enough backup or a more senior option,(who might then request time off later etc.). Or is it more like Oxenfree where conversation choices are likely the main "gameplay",thus far?
Yes Sarah,its soo antiquated that Phil "Gamer" Spencer convinced Satya to let him use the corporate credit card to buy up Zenimax & then Activision Blizzard cos it it'd bring millions more Gamepass exclusives...until it didn't & the board wanted a return on investment!π
Funny how she isn't demanding Mariokart etc., become multiformat crossplay either!π
Hard to get much of a read on Hideaki Nishino given his low public profile & main achievements seem to have been price increases on PS Hardware & PSN services!π
Would happily swap Shuhei Yoshida's experience over Hermen Hulst's continued misfires with live service ventures & mismanagement of previous high flying studios before his appointment by Jim Ryan!
Whilst this every bit smacks of EA going the Take-two route getting a quick & dirty port just like the GTA Trilogy "definitive edition" being farmed off to the mess of its release, I wonder if a wider issue is also at play...namely whether if another example of a Big AAA publisher having lost old source codes of older gen versions whether PC or PS3/360 etc.
Has Quantic Dream hired some ex-Bungie staff from their "advisory group" to Sony?!ππ Nevermind Disney has managed to devalue the Star Wars brand enough that outside of Respawn's efforts can't help but think they'll face an Ubisoft like flop! Shame...enjoyed the likes of Heavy Rain & Detroit Become Human.
@get2sammyb Seemingly Playstation Studios execs didn't do their homework very well if they truly thought Tencent were keen on a mobile Last of Us...came across a YouTube video recently discussing World War Z & abandoned potential sequel(s). The interesting side note was Zombie movies tend to get an automatic ban hammer in China apparently...so doesn't seem to be a stretch to think the same would apply to a video game like TLOU!π€
She wasn't wrong on the consequences...but unfortunately they were setup for failure from a (relatively),underfunded FTC vs the corporate lawyer armies of both Activision & especially Microsoft....nevermind Microsoft's "influence" across the political divides in Congress (with loose donation laws),& other territories where like most megacorps enough "compensation" & vague political promises tend to overcome regulatory governance.π
The days of Teddy Roosevelt like determination to tear down Megacorps has mostly vanished whether U.S.,or other regions (like mine Down Under). Indeed the failure of the courts to break up Microsoft in the 90's "browser wars" in favour of deals with rescuing a then floundering Apple & look at how they have grown from then.
And that's not including current day where the judiciary over there seemingly receive "gifts" much like their political counterparts & self rule on conflicts of interest & its not hard to work out how the Megacorps continue to get bigger!
Famitsu near perfect!π Eurogamer: This is soo samey & boring like the first one!π΄π Play a "new" Mariokart with token extra cosmetics...."this is brilliant, phwoar!"ππ
So among the many desparate arguments for the Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard was the one as one of the BIG US companies woe betide if it fell into foreign hands!π€―π± But cos of "free" jets etc.,100% Saudi ownership is okay now? E.A. as always in the modern era shooting itself in the foot & calling it progress.π
You know what could've been a great way to celebrate? How about releasing the first two GOW games that started it all on current gen!
Literally have a PS2 Classics emulation but don't want to use it....also have Bluepoint & a PS3 HD Collection they could've reworked much like Bluepoint brought Uncharted trilogy to PS4 back in the day!π But Hermen does find money to blow on failed live service games?!π€―
Can remember when seeing if you completed GTA Vice City 100% completion it gave Tommy Vercetti a joke t-shirt to wear....now we see Sony not only having shut down the PS Stars program (which was being majorly nerfed not including rewards points for subbing to PS Plus anyways), but locking "loot" purchases behind trophies?!π€―
Not forgetting the multiple hardware & PS Plus price hikes,(esp.in the regions ala Down Under, EU etc.),no discounts for resubbing to PS Plus Essential anymore in sales like Days of Play, Black Friday etc., a generally lacklustre PS Deluxe/Classics releases with little Third Party support, & departures of the likes of Shuhei Yoshida or anyone that'd publicy engage with its audience.
Not exactly putting a great case forward for buying next gen when they've been hopelessly tone deaf this generation!π
Gee,if only Hermen Hulst had a specialist studio that had a history of pulling off high quality remasters & remakes that could've possibly worked on Bloodborne... because it made total sense to pivot Bluepoint after Demon Souls on a multiplayer live service game set in the God of War universe... allegedly! What Hermen lacks in public silence with the Playstation community as overseer of Worldwide Studios, he obviously must be a fast, slick talker with Hiroki Totoki & those shareholder meetings to still have his job!π
Waiting for Randy to tweet "buy a PS6, peasant!",next!ππ€£ Just remember this is the same Randy that sold everyone Aliens Colonial Marines on a non playable trailer only to claim minimal involvement by Gearbox & collectively blame everyone else but themselves afterwards!
Was intrigued by the original trailer, & been looking out for more info...but will definitely wait on a full release...rather hated the Tellttale episodic formula whether Dam & Max, their Monkey Island or Walking Dead...& though not Telltale well recall the delays & disappointed Kings Quest remake with its great opening chapter & let down with the short later ones!
Not saying its same thing, but rather wait for an informed judgement on the whole thing. Fingers crossed!
Remember prior to the PS5 launch when Epic ran that Unreal Engine 5 tech demo & Sony stated how they'd made strategic minor investments of Epic shares & working with them to ensure Unreal Engine 5 would be a fully optimised experience on Playstation? Good times!π Another Jim Ryan inspired moment of brilliance!ππ
If a company as old as Sega could get hoodwinked by Gearbox over Alien Colonial Marines, then IO Interactive shouldn't feel that bad,(& there are other publishers long gone back in the 8bit & 16bit era who scrambled on last minute rewrites from scratch when they suddenly found out a game was in such dev hell it needed "something" to ship out)!
That said,it should serve as a cautionary tale to keep an eye on how things are progressing before rolling out the marketing machine.
@Yiro998 Be careful what you wish for! Yes,I do own a PC,nothing flash by today's standards with i5 Intel, (before they became their current basket case),& rtx 3060 combo...have aspirations to do another build someday but between Windows 11 SSD potentially killing updates, Nvidia & AMD gpu price gouging duopoly, & hoping your latest Asrock, Asus or insert name manufacturer hasn't pulled something dodgy on the latest motherboard releases that might fry a CPU it's a continual roulette spin getting something that doesn't cost a small fortune or bites you trying to upgrade a CPU or similar later!
Shrinkflation definitely isn't something I had on my 2025 console bingo card,even moreso when digital players need all the storage they can scrape!
@Ludacritz All that's missing is Hermen appointing the likes of departed Pete Parsons or another ex-Bungie or even ex-Guerilla favourite to take over!π Might be mistaken but fairly sure this is one of Hulst's pet projects from Jim Ryan appointing him as Worldwide Studios head & their haphazard throw live service game ideas at the dartboard & come up with a Sony Fortnite/ Overwatch. I still think to Shuhei Yoshida's half joking he mightβve pushed back on some of Jim's pitches as a more seasoned & experienced head. Unfortunately I suspect Hermen moved other similar older producers on from Worldwide Studios & got some of his old ex-guerilla colleagues into Worldwide Studios who similarly wouldn't push back against their old Guerilla Games boss in greenlight8ng so many now cancelled projects.
Guessing Sony is looking to diversify their PS6 options with territories that are more noted for their portable gaming probably having more of the hybrid model vs markets that do well with the traditional console. Whilst it doesn't help the perception of how much next gen hardware is actually pushed with "new" games, they're unlikely to ignore the PS5 base of 80+million in the shorter term much as the PS4 ended up with more cross gen than initially expected.
@get2sammyb Having issues (Down Under), with the PS5 PSN Store not actually showing the Playstation Indies sale. Can see it on the PS4 PSN ,(Though obviously not any PS5 Only games),but the only way to see any from this deal on PS5 is going to "All Deals".π Very strange!
Is anyone else (esp. Down Under),having any issues seeing the "Playstation Indies" sale on PS5? Could view it on PS4,(though onv.,not PS5 only titles),but wasn't visible on PS5 during the Gamescom promotion nor this one?π€
Seems like the only way is to select "All deals" which is cumbersome given different finishing dates etc. Very odd!π
@Medic_alert π€£π Bravo,you win the internet today! Yes, a simplified procedure is long overdue but without at least matching competing storefronts is hardly going to win over customers....will only be useful possibly for at launch bugfests ala Fallout 76 or Cyberpunk etc.
@LogicStrikesAgain Whilst I can't recall exact timings & names,just recall snippets/mentions of veteran departures & then of the occasional ex-guerilla person moving from there to join Hulst,& feeling like it was more like concentrating his powerbase with like minded colleagues. Though Shuhei Yoshida made light of his shift by Jim Ryan to revive their Indies initiative, still think of his quote he mightβve pushed back a bit on some of Ryan's ideas as telling...would he have been so keen on Bungie? Can't help but doubt it!
@Get2sammyb Can only assume Herman still has his position after throwing so many others onto the proverbial train tracks,by fast talking Hiroki Totoki on this "multimedia" big game strategy!π As others have noted,unlike Hulst's obsession with creating a first party fortnite, hits can come from small ideas that evolve/grow on their own....& even the likes of AAA IP's like Uncharted,or The Last of Us,(keeping in mind Bruce Straley is the forgotten half of it's creation),creations during a difficult phase for Playstation first & second parties wrestling with the Playstation 3's technology & certainly not worried if their game was adaptable to movie spin-offs!π
Looking for some multiplayer mix in the Playstation offerings was fine. But one only has to look at the mass cancellations, lay-offs, closures or "repivots", to see an executive out of his depth. Sadly with the departure of so many notable management whether the likes of Shawn Layden,Shu Yoshida, or even ND or Insomniac etc.,in recent years you wonder who can help Playstation find their creative mojo again.π
Maybe when Hermen got annoited by the clueless Jim Ryan as his captain's pick Worldwide Studios head,(& embarking on their massive live service spree including buying Bungie's "expertise"),maybe moving on reportedly veteran Playstation producers & replacing them with ex-guerilla game colleagues that wouldn't disagree with their old studio boss was among the many mistakes & bad calls Hulst has made.
For all the previous "creative freedom", Sony first parties used to state they enjoyed, one can only speculate on some of the senior r"etirements" or departures with the mandates to create IP's with multiplayer only, or heavy emphasis on from devs experienced in single player games.
Likewise, in the rare interviews I'd recalled from Hulst, never heard him mention some of Playstation's historical IP's ala Jak & Daxter,Sly Raccoon, Little Big Planet, Resistance, Motorstorm & others unlike Shuhei Yoshida, or Shawn Layden would.
His prattling on of ways to expand IP's to other mediums rather smacks of Xbox's disastrous Xbox One "TV,TV,TV!",launch.
Unfortunately, the legacy of Jim Ryan & Herman Hulst's mismanagement has seen the upper echelon of Sony group executives weilding a far tighter financial reign on Playstation operations & it feels like the "suits" rather than management with knowledge of & appreciation of their gaming fanbase that are calling the shots now.
Given Hulst was hyping up Concord prior to release & was taking advice from the likes of Bungie Execs suggest it's his failings to surround himself with objective management rather than people wanting to keep an out of his depth boss happy that was the real failing.
@wiiware @CP2 Yep,if there's one talent Hermen Hulst clearly has is being a fast talker to Investor calls & Hiroki Totoki ("It was all Jim's fault,I was just following his orders!").ππ If memory serves,(& obviously the prequel), Helldivers II started development before Hulst's reign of chaos. Guessing it possibly had a more AA level funding too,albeit I'm sure the dev studio these days enjoy top support to keep them on board as the guardians of one of Playstation's few hits in the multiplayer sphere this generation.
Another executive getting a golden parachute payout. Have seen some worthwhile YouTube videos which mentioned between his & a fellow ex-Microsoft's ascension as Bungie execs several of the veterans actually responsible for their earlier Halo hits were moved on or "retired",prior to the original Destiny.
Unfortunately, the rather clueless Jim Ryan & newly annoited Hermen Hulst as his captain's pick to takeover Worldwide Studios from Shuhei Yoshida (& Shawn Layden as U.S. Studios head prior to that),& enact a massive live service push within Playstation fell for Bungie's "expertise" hook,line & sinker!π
We've heard Shuhei mention the factions TLOU spin off played well,(albeit ND weren't Rockstar sized to continue big content updates ala GTAO & juggle new single player projects). But other projects within Playstation quietly cancelled or not given a green light.
Long time veteran Playstation studios producers quietly departed for ex-Guerilla colleagues who worked under Hulst taking their place. New studio start-ups included the likes of recently departed Bungie talent to fund the likes of Concord & Bungie & Hulst were absolutely convinced they had their Fortnite style mega hit...which bombed like Tunguska!
Add to it flopped Destiny releases & further Bungie lay-offs to compensate & boost flagging kpi's to try avoid Sony contractual takeover & you get the present mess that has represented Worldwide Studios output under Hermen Hulst's mismanagement.
Jim Ryan quietly announces his "retirement" en route to mass Playstation Studios lay-offs & closures,& the decidedly non-gaming now Sony group chairman Hiroki Totoki taking the reigns of Playstation long enough to note the sea of red spending by Ryan & Hulst on Bungie & flops like Concord & clearly demanded changes.
How Hermen Hulst has retained his job during a decidedly messy tenure & listening to the departing Bungie's head "expertise",on live service games is still something I'm puzzled at!π€π
@Bettyswollocks Bioshock Infinite being part of that "elite" circle of games like Watchdogs etc., with vertical slice demo's promising so much extra you couldn't help but wonder if you'd stumbled into an alternate Mandela/ Berestain Bear alternate timeline!π€―π
The reality sadly if they were waiting on Ken Levine to stop dreaming up new mechanics & ideas,they'd be still probably very aiming for a ps5 or ps6 release window!
Judging from the last we'd heard anything on his latest game,they'll probably need this director's help to pull "something" together for that too by the time he gets whatever Bioshock 4 ends up as. π
Given 2K's parent company Take-two were happy enough to dish out Grand Theft Auto Trilogy "definitive edition" in its infamous shambolic state,(Sorry! To quote Strauss Zoellick just a bug or two!ππ€―),one wonders what shape this must be in to fail Take-two's low bar!π±π
Pachter is pretty clueless on the musical chairs of of Playstation senior management sequence...though I do agree the losses of the likes of Shawn Layden & Shuhei Yoshida have been very much felt by gamers as they communicated with them & were passionate about gaming.
Jim Ryan ushered in the "beancounter/kpi" middle management including appointing Hermen Hulst whom in turn seemingly surrounded himself with ex-guerilla or bungie talent,(keeping in mind a number of Bungie talent responsible for their earlier Halo hits had left or were moved on by the ex-microsoft management that took control prior to Destiny) as his creative group & advising Jim Ryan.
Unfortunately,after their expensive misfires, you then had the decidedly non-gaming Sony group head Totoki now looking over their shoulders & demanding making up for lost revenue from the Playstation cash cow,.
How Hulst still retains his role is beyond me, but you can't help but wonder another Concord like flop is directly related to his being incognito outside of shareholder meetings which is ironic considering how prolific his predecessors were.
Whilst RE2 & RE3 are welcome additions (& live up to the classics label), that they've come far later than GOG getting all three RE Classic titles, & Dino Crisis & Breath of Fire IV,shows far more vigour on GOG's behalf than Sony has done. You don't see Sony put up a dreamlist request site to make votes/submissions on.
Likewise,still far too few third party participants,which goes back to whom in third party relations or PS Plus services is supposedly chasing content for the service?
Just feels like when you're waiting for dinner at a restaurant soo long it makes the garlic bread or bread roll feel like the best darn thing you ever had! Given the price increases we should be getting more than crumbs!
Much as I'd speculated in the Helldivers 2 Xbox thread the other day...no thanks to Jim Ryan & his Worldwide Studios "captain's pick" Hermen Hulst's questionable acquisition of Bungie & choices of pushing Concord & other multiple live service games,only to cancel a bunch after the Concord disaster & Jim's "retirement".
Remember when now Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki in his interim Playstation CEO role talked about Playstation needed to make games more efficiently? That wasn't just about cutting staff or replacing them all with A.I. (We hope!). Hermen Hulst probably still only has his job on the promise he'll find Playstation's COD, GTA Online,Fortnite first party pot of gold.... To which someone like Totoki an executive who makes Jim Ryan look like a Hardcore gamer,probably then insisted if Sony's going big on live service development why keep it Playstation walled Gardens?
Unfortunately for PS Gamers, the days of gaming centric execs like Shawn Layden, Shuhei Yoshida etc, feel like they're getting more distant by the day...the "player engagement", bean counters are seemingly running rule over creative choices now.π
@get2sammyb That last bit of the article almost has me imagining a Sony engineer being on the phone to some Indian or Philippines call centre telling them to unplug the modem cable,& turn off the modem & wait a minute before rebooting it!ππ
Back on topic. Remember when the lousy hacker(s) brought down Litle Big Planet, Sony was pretty quiet on the communication front before declaring it too hard (reads too expensive to update an old ps3 game),& finally admit it was permanently shut down?
Just suggesting never underestimate a bean counter mentality as much as its likely hopefully just a maintenance issue.
"It was all Sony"....very true,I'm sure...as I'm also sure after Jim Ryan/Hermen Hulst blew 3 billion plus on a Bungie minus the veterans behind its earlier hits,& other short sighted choices like Concord, led Sony Group executive asking Playstation execs "if you're making live service games costing millions,why aren't you putting them on multiple platforms?", sort of pressure,I suspect!π
Unfortunately for PS Owners, the bean counters are well & truly calling the shots now.
So where has the lawsuir actually been filed then? Just curious if this is in Tencent's "home stadium",of a China State Court or in a US or Japan court wherein Sony would presumably have more IP lawyers? π€ Guessing the main reason Sony's taking this step (& risking relations with the Behemoth that is Tencent, not that I'm any fan of their widespread reach),is Tencent would possibly be publishing this on Steam/Epic,or Xbox etc., where Sony would be battling DCMA claims on multiple store fronts?
I'm sure there's some clever people out there who can tell me all the wonderful things A.I. can do to help our society....but I'm also reminded of a term taught by my computer teacher in late high school (secondary school as I believe its called in some regions of the world)....GIGO=Garbage In Garbage Out.
Despite the passage of time, one look at AI on social media platforms & some of the slop on PSN,Steam etc.,which is an insult to the creative indies out there & I can't help but think of how much GIGO I see around the place these days!πππ
Not 100% sure as hadn't bought the First & Second Samurai compilation I've rarely seen pop up on PSN sales...but pretty sure on GOG Store where they also sell them, user reviews have mentioned they're using SNES ports of them rather than the Amiga originals.
Can only speculate,but given the current legal mess that represents Amiga rights ownership (not to be confused with the in progress Commodore situation),sadly rarely see Amiga versions of any retro releases,which is a great shame.
Hope it's okay to post the question here mods, but after redeeming Diablo IV without issue on PS Plus, I've noticed it's effectively unavailable to purchase anymore in the PS Store!π
Only see the expansions & mtx currencies advertised. Was under the impression they offered a separate PS Plus version to avoid the issue these days! Does this mean one needs a separate account or have to get in touch with PS Support to buy it on a later sale?π€
Apologies for going a bit off topic...but after redeeming Diablo IV without issue on PS Plus, I've noticed it's effectively unavailable to purchase anymore in the PS Store!π Only see the expansions & mtx currencies advertised. I thought they offered a separate PS Plus version to avoid these issues now! Does this mean one needs a separate account or have to get in touch with PS Support to buy it on a later sale?π€
As per other posts here,I agree its less likely to be any dig at the devs & far more a tongue in cheek dig at Activision & in particular Bobby Kotick's incredible knack at running multiple franchises into the ground,& then throwing said devs onto the train tracks or gutted into being a COD support studio.
The irony is,there's reports going around the the Microsoft lay-offs are seemingly impacting smaller studios that either had games funded by them,or doing support work in larger projects having their funding/work pulled too & Iron Galaxy is among those named. A rumour for now, but guess we'll see in time if any future closures possibly happen.π
@get2sammyb Might be mistaken,but before the God of War reboot on PS4 wasn't there a rumour that Santa Monica were working on some sort of sci-fi game that was ultimately cancelled?π€ Might be a means for a project to be "new" & old if maybe rebooting whatever that was? Keeping in mind The Last Guardian was in purgatory until the PS4 saw them retool it from PS3 & Until Dawn from its PS Move origins into what it eventuated as on PS4. Just a thought!
Whilst GTA IV didn't grab me in the same way as the classic era Trilogy or RDR 1,would still be a welcome addition. Still bugs me how RDR & in theory this port (Wonder if Double Eleven are handling it again?),lack a native ps5 version!
I see the GTA Trilogy "definitive edition" rarely on shelves these days,but obviously it lacks the ps5 upgrade,so you're stuck with the higher priced version on PSN.
Whilst we enjoy ps4 backwards compatibility (with a few exceptions),on PS5,Mark Cerny has explained in chats like with Digital Foundry, that it requires engineering within the APU setup. In theory,staying with AMD should retain the fixes for a PS6, but all you need is a short sighted bean counter executive declare its too expensive a production cost & drop it as a feature!
Just a bit weird if they don't release a native version,even if unenhanced!
Wonder if like GTA Vice City & SA,if it'll feature a reduced track list? They removed a bunch of songs in a ps3 update when licences expired years ago,didn't they? Cos we all know Take-two Strauss Zelnick is the living Scrooge McDuck! π
I'm loathe to suggest more tiers when we're already 3-4...but given the multiple price hikes in regions like mine Down Under,(unlike the U.S.),& ZERO PS Plus Essential subscription sales for existing subscribers, I'd potentially be open to a cheaper Essential subscription that still gives PSN sale bonus discounts & drop the "free" games entirely. Or keep the current model but stop the cheapskate nonsense of upgrade only "sales" on subs. Its just pure greed only certain regions continually get hikes effectively subsidising others.
PS Deluxe was allegedly a stop gap for those territories that didn't have PS Now, but never seen any expansion of it & given the price of Deluxe here, Premium would be too expensive even if they bothered with it.
Totally agree with @get2Sammyb an expansion of the PS Classics with better engagement of wishlisting with fans, AND chasing third party PS1,PS2 etc., titles would be preferred. And IF PS3 emulation is still in the too hard basket (& to be fair, RPCS3 needs a PC with decent grunt to get the best out of it), then expand or get a Bluepoint like studio to handle stuff like Resistance, LBP, Motorstorm, Infamous, LBP Karting, even Rain,ICO etc, onto current gen. You don't have to do full blown 4k remakes, but its a way to test the waters & if players like them, then you have opportunities to follow up. More worthwhile than the next cancelled Fortnite wannabe from Hermen Hulst!
@Nakatomi_Uk Well its on GOG Store at least! Not sure why Breath of Fire 3 was't added too! Whether that leads to an eventual PSN/ Classics release time will tell!π€ Just feel like the wishlisting feature at GOG feels way more visible than how things could be done for Playstation old school gamers!
Love seeing other's posts on games they'd like to see added!! Good stuff!
Comments 1,524
Re: We Never Got Rockstar's Agent Because an Open World Spy Game 'Doesn't Really Work'
As others have already said, a confusing answer when you look at say The Warriors which certainly wasn't open world either, but was certainly a nice movie spin off by Rockstar!
Unfortunately the PS3 certainly drew the short straw from Rockstar during that period missing out on Bully Scolarship Edition, timed exclusive GTA IV DLC & the somewhat visually inferior RDR port common of the era when the 360 was treated as the "lead" dev platform by most third parties.
Can recall the EA Bond games of the PS2 era though not as fun as Splinter Cell or Hitman, still had their charm with driving sections, using Bond gadgets & some typical blowing things up...just can't help but think Rockstar were a bit more sidetracked that their heart really wasn't into doing Agent when GTA IV was beckoning & RDR & LA Noire both experiencing development issues that drew Rockstar into both more than initially planned. π€
Re: Retro Mario Kart Rival Races to PS5, PS4 in Street Racer Collection
@joey302 Morally with you 100%! As to why? Dunno what's the situation on licensing with Saturn between the bios & emulation needed for consoles,but looking at sites like GOG where the likes of Populus,First Samurai, North vs South etc., will feature PC or Console versions & other old Amiga emulated listing's like Cinemaware's classics got delisted the Amiga licensed re-releases are few & far between & seemingly a mess. Pretty sure the recently announced The A1200 had been in limbo for quite some time due to all the mess the ownership of OS/tech rights!π
Makes me annoyed seeing the Amiga versions often left out of compilations as a result of ligitious "owners" whom had nothing to do with the original tech or games to begin with!
Re: Retro Mario Kart Rival Races to PS5, PS4 in Street Racer Collection
I do recall the odd Amiga preview BITD but never saw it in action & half thought it never came out on after Commodore went belly up.
Did eventually play it on rental on PS1 but vaguely recall having better fun with the likes of Motor Toon Grand Prix 2, or the odd NFS, V Rally, & then Twisted Metal World Tour * Gran Turismo...will be curious to see some of the other ports but sounds like a shame about some of the missing ones not included here.
Oh well, better than the FMV ones that were mentioned with the LRG announcement!
Re: Even More Cult SEGA CD Games Are Somehow Making Their Way to PS5, PS4
If LRG want to put earlier Megadrive CD era games on modern gens could they at least pick decent to good ones?!π
Can think of the Misadventures of Flink (also had an Amiga CD32 port),& the same team went onto the Adventures of Lomax on PS1 also a fun platform action romp.
Core Design also did a few Mega CD games like Soulstar & Thunderhawk, along with others that had their origins on Amiga at the time like the Heimdall series, Jaguar racing, Chuck Rock & Bubba & Stix to name some...all fairly obscure & forgotten today but likely to have more playability than some of their latest announcements.π
Re: Sony's Social Media Tribute to the PS2 Borders on Insulting
Whilst we all have our preferences,eg PS1: Alundra, Adventures of Lomax, Colony Wars, Wing Commander 3 & 4,Discworld series, PSP Ultimate Ghosts'n'Goblins, EA Classics compilation of Desert Strike, Wing Commander, PS2: SSX Series,NFS Underground 1 & 2, Splinter Cell series, Maximo Quest for Glory & Army of Zin, GTA LCS & VCS.....the biggest gripes I'd have about Sony's PS Classics program is the lack of will/budget chasing after third parties & how they could take notes on how GOG encourage their audience to wishlist requests, which no guarantee, but its a means to prod publishers into getting into their archives & seeing what's possible!
Re: Halo Confirmed for PS5, Remake of First Game Out in 2026
So...on one hand ragnarok has finally hit...but given Microsoft's current direction hope for the fans it hasn't been left to H.A.L the A.I. assistant to handle the PS5 port & the black hole that is the Unreal Engine that swallows up frames per second like they're appetisers at a party!
Re: Review in Progress: Dispatch (PS5) - Interactive Superhero Show Could Be Something Special
The potential sounds promising even if a glorified Visual Novel when its compared to the likes of TWD adventures.π€
@ShogunRok No real consequences for who's dispatched to whatever "rescue" then? Can recall in the original "This is the Police" you could lose rookies if they didn't have enough backup or a more senior option,(who might then request time off later etc.). Or is it more like Oxenfree where conversation choices are likely the main "gameplay",thus far?
Re: Xbox Boss Believes Sony's Strategy of Console Exclusives Is 'Antiquated'
Yes Sarah,its soo antiquated that Phil "Gamer" Spencer convinced Satya to let him use the corporate credit card to buy up Zenimax & then Activision Blizzard cos it it'd bring millions more Gamepass exclusives...until it didn't & the board wanted a return on investment!π
Funny how she isn't demanding Mariokart etc., become multiformat crossplay either!π
Re: For a Fleeting Moment, It Felt Like PS2 Gangster Game Scarface Could Be Getting a Re-Release
"We were trying to stealth post this & grab some preorder money & disappear but now there's been so much attention we're getting DCMA'd! "π€―π±π
Re: 'Even I ο»ΏCan't Tell the Difference': Shuhei Yoshida Thinks PS6 Needs Something Other Than Just More Power
Hard to get much of a read on Hideaki Nishino given his low public profile & main achievements seem to have been price increases on PS Hardware & PSN services!π
Would happily swap Shuhei Yoshida's experience over Hermen Hulst's continued misfires with live service ventures & mismanagement of previous high flying studios before his appointment by Jim Ryan!
Re: There Are Big Concerns About Plants vs Zombies' PS5, PS4 Re-Release
Whilst this every bit smacks of EA going the Take-two route getting a quick & dirty port just like the GTA Trilogy "definitive edition" being farmed off to the mess of its release, I wonder if a wider issue is also at play...namely whether if another example of a Big AAA publisher having lost old source codes of older gen versions whether PC or PS3/360 etc.
Re: Heavy Rain Dev Announces Competitive Multiplayer Game Spellcasters Chronicles
Has Quantic Dream hired some ex-Bungie staff from their "advisory group" to Sony?!ππ
Nevermind Disney has managed to devalue the Star Wars brand enough that outside of Respawn's efforts can't help but think they'll face an Ubisoft like flop!
Shame...enjoyed the likes of Heavy Rain & Detroit Become Human.
Re: Sony Travelled to China to Discuss Mobile Adaptation of The Last of Us with Tencent
@get2sammyb Seemingly Playstation Studios execs didn't do their homework very well if they truly thought Tencent were keen on a mobile Last of Us...came across a YouTube video recently discussing World War Z & abandoned potential sequel(s). The interesting side note was Zombie movies tend to get an automatic ban hammer in China apparently...so doesn't seem to be a stretch to think the same would apply to a video game like TLOU!π€
Re: 'Told You So': Ex-FTC Chair Lina Khan Is Having the Last Laugh Over Xbox's Activision Acquisition
She wasn't wrong on the consequences...but unfortunately they were setup for failure from a (relatively),underfunded FTC vs the corporate lawyer armies of both Activision & especially Microsoft....nevermind Microsoft's "influence" across the political divides in Congress (with loose donation laws),& other territories where like most megacorps enough "compensation" & vague political promises tend to overcome regulatory governance.π
The days of Teddy Roosevelt like determination to tear down Megacorps has mostly vanished whether U.S.,or other regions (like mine Down Under). Indeed the failure of the courts to break up Microsoft in the 90's "browser wars" in favour of deals with rescuing a then floundering Apple & look at how they have grown from then.
And that's not including current day where the judiciary over there seemingly receive "gifts" much like their political counterparts & self rule on conflicts of interest & its not hard to work out how the Megacorps continue to get bigger!
Re: Ghost of Yotei Gets a Near Perfect Score in Japan's Most Famous Gaming Magazine
Famitsu near perfect!π
Eurogamer: This is soo samey & boring like the first one!π΄π Play a "new" Mariokart with token extra cosmetics...."this is brilliant, phwoar!"ππ
Re: Mega Publisher EA Agrees to $55 Billion Buyout by Saudi Arabia, Silver Lake, Affinity Partners
So among the many desparate arguments for the Microsoft purchase of Activision Blizzard was the one as one of the BIG US companies woe betide if it fell into foreign hands!π€―π±
But cos of "free" jets etc.,100% Saudi ownership is okay now?
E.A. as always in the modern era shooting itself in the foot & calling it progress.π
Re: Sony Celebrates 20 Years of God of War with New PS5 Controller
You know what could've been a great way to celebrate? How about releasing the first two GOW games that started it all on current gen!
Literally have a PS2 Classics emulation but don't want to use it....also have Bluepoint & a PS3 HD Collection they could've reworked much like Bluepoint brought Uncharted trilogy to PS4 back in the day!π But Hermen does find money to blow on failed live service games?!π€―
Re: New PlayStation Rewards Program to Offer Exclusive Merch, Starts Today
Can remember when seeing if you completed GTA Vice City 100% completion it gave Tommy Vercetti a joke t-shirt to wear....now we see Sony not only having shut down the PS Stars program (which was being majorly nerfed not including rewards points for subbing to PS Plus anyways), but locking "loot" purchases behind trophies?!π€―
Not forgetting the multiple hardware & PS Plus price hikes,(esp.in the regions ala Down Under, EU etc.),no discounts for resubbing to PS Plus Essential anymore in sales like Days of Play, Black Friday etc., a generally lacklustre PS Deluxe/Classics releases with little Third Party support, & departures of the likes of Shuhei Yoshida or anyone that'd publicy engage with its audience.
Not exactly putting a great case forward for buying next gen when they've been hopelessly tone deaf this generation!π
Re: Sony's Still Not Doing Anything with Bloodborne, It's Claimed
Gee,if only Hermen Hulst had a specialist studio that had a history of pulling off high quality remasters & remakes that could've possibly worked on Bloodborne... because it made total sense to pivot Bluepoint after Demon Souls on a multiplayer live service game set in the God of War universe... allegedly!
What Hermen lacks in public silence with the Playstation community as overseer of Worldwide Studios, he obviously must be a fast, slick talker with Hiroki Totoki & those shareholder meetings to still have his job!π
Re: 'Quit Game and Restart': PS5 Pro Has the Worst Version of Borderlands 4
Waiting for Randy to tweet "buy a PS6, peasant!",next!ππ€£
Just remember this is the same Randy that sold everyone Aliens Colonial Marines on a non playable trailer only to claim minimal involvement by Gearbox & collectively blame everyone else but themselves afterwards!
Re: Superhero Adventure Game Dispatch Confirmed for PS5, and It's Releasing Episodically
Was intrigued by the original trailer, & been looking out for more info...but will definitely wait on a full release...rather hated the Tellttale episodic formula whether Dam & Max, their Monkey Island or Walking Dead...& though not Telltale well recall the delays & disappointed Kings Quest remake with its great opening chapter & let down with the short later ones!
Not saying its same thing, but rather wait for an informed judgement on the whole thing. Fingers crossed!
Re: Site News: Where's Our Borderlands 4 PS5 Review?
Remember prior to the PS5 launch when Epic ran that Unreal Engine 5 tech demo & Sony stated how they'd made strategic minor investments of Epic shares & working with them to ensure Unreal Engine 5 would be a fully optimised experience on Playstation? Good times!π Another Jim Ryan inspired moment of brilliance!ππ
Re: MindsEye Flopped So Badly That Its Publisher Is Questioning If It Should Publish Games Ever Again
If a company as old as Sega could get hoodwinked by Gearbox over Alien Colonial Marines, then IO Interactive shouldn't feel that bad,(& there are other publishers long gone back in the 8bit & 16bit era who scrambled on last minute rewrites from scratch when they suddenly found out a game was in such dev hell it needed "something" to ship out)!
That said,it should serve as a cautionary tale to keep an eye on how things are progressing before rolling out the marketing machine.
Re: Rumour: To Avoid Even More PS5 Price Increases, Digital Edition to Get Reduced SSD Space
@Yiro998 Be careful what you wish for! Yes,I do own a PC,nothing flash by today's standards with i5 Intel, (before they became their current basket case),& rtx 3060 combo...have aspirations to do another build someday but between Windows 11 SSD potentially killing updates, Nvidia & AMD gpu price gouging duopoly, & hoping your latest Asrock, Asus or insert name manufacturer hasn't pulled something dodgy on the latest motherboard releases that might fry a CPU it's a continual roulette spin getting something that doesn't cost a small fortune or bites you trying to upgrade a CPU or similar later!
Shrinkflation definitely isn't something I had on my 2025 console bingo card,even moreso when digital players need all the storage they can scrape!
Re: Sony's Troubled Live Service Game Fairgames Just Can't Catch a Break
@Ludacritz All that's missing is Hermen appointing the likes of departed Pete Parsons or another ex-Bungie or even ex-Guerilla favourite to take over!π
Might be mistaken but fairly sure this is one of Hulst's pet projects from Jim Ryan appointing him as Worldwide Studios head & their haphazard throw live service game ideas at the dartboard & come up with a Sony Fortnite/ Overwatch.
I still think to Shuhei Yoshida's half joking he mightβve pushed back on some of Jim's pitches as a more seasoned & experienced head. Unfortunately I suspect Hermen moved other similar older producers on from Worldwide Studios & got some of his old ex-guerilla colleagues into Worldwide Studios who similarly wouldn't push back against their old Guerilla Games boss in greenlight8ng so many now cancelled projects.
Re: Rumour: PS6 Handheld Device Can Be Docked Like Nintendo Switch 2
Guessing Sony is looking to diversify their PS6 options with territories that are more noted for their portable gaming probably having more of the hybrid model vs markets that do well with the traditional console.
Whilst it doesn't help the perception of how much next gen hardware is actually pushed with "new" games, they're unlikely to ignore the PS5 base of 80+million in the shorter term much as the PS4 ended up with more cross gen than initially expected.
Re: 35+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's PlayStation Indies Sale (North America/Europe)
@get2sammyb Having issues (Down Under), with the PS5 PSN Store not actually showing the Playstation Indies sale. Can see it on the PS4 PSN ,(Though obviously not any PS5 Only games),but the only way to see any from this deal on PS5 is going to "All Deals".π
Very strange!
Re: 64+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's Ready Set Play Sale
Is anyone else (esp. Down Under),having any issues seeing the "Playstation Indies" sale on PS5? Could view it on PS4,(though onv.,not PS5 only titles),but wasn't visible on PS5 during the Gamescom promotion nor this one?π€
Seems like the only way is to select "All deals" which is cumbersome given different finishing dates etc. Very odd!π
Re: Sony's Convoluted PS Store Refund Process Has Finally Been Streamlined
@Medic_alert π€£π Bravo,you win the internet today!
Yes, a simplified procedure is long overdue but without at least matching competing storefronts is hardly going to win over customers....will only be useful possibly for at launch bugfests ala Fallout 76 or Cyberpunk etc.
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
@LogicStrikesAgain Whilst I can't recall exact timings & names,just recall snippets/mentions of veteran departures & then of the occasional ex-guerilla person moving from there to join Hulst,& feeling like it was more like concentrating his powerbase with like minded colleagues. Though Shuhei Yoshida made light of his shift by Jim Ryan to revive their Indies initiative, still think of his quote he mightβve pushed back a bit on some of Ryan's ideas as telling...would he have been so keen on Bungie? Can't help but doubt it!
@Get2sammyb Can only assume Herman still has his position after throwing so many others onto the proverbial train tracks,by fast talking Hiroki Totoki on this "multimedia" big game strategy!π
As others have noted,unlike Hulst's obsession with creating a first party fortnite, hits can come from small ideas that evolve/grow on their own....& even the likes of AAA IP's like Uncharted,or The Last of Us,(keeping in mind Bruce Straley is the forgotten half of it's creation),creations during a difficult phase for Playstation first & second parties wrestling with the Playstation 3's technology & certainly not worried if their game was adaptable to movie spin-offs!π
Looking for some multiplayer mix in the Playstation offerings was fine. But one only has to look at the mass cancellations, lay-offs, closures or "repivots", to see an executive out of his depth. Sadly with the departure of so many notable management whether the likes of Shawn Layden,Shu Yoshida, or even ND or Insomniac etc.,in recent years you wonder who can help Playstation find their creative mojo again.π
Re: 'The Number of Live Service Games Is Not Important': PS5 Boss Gives Rare Insight into Strategy
Maybe when Hermen got annoited by the clueless Jim Ryan as his captain's pick Worldwide Studios head,(& embarking on their massive live service spree including buying Bungie's "expertise"),maybe moving on reportedly veteran Playstation producers & replacing them with ex-guerilla game colleagues that wouldn't disagree with their old studio boss was among the many mistakes & bad calls Hulst has made.
For all the previous "creative freedom", Sony first parties used to state they enjoyed, one can only speculate on some of the senior r"etirements" or departures with the mandates to create IP's with multiplayer only, or heavy emphasis on from devs experienced in single player games.
Likewise, in the rare interviews I'd recalled from Hulst, never heard him mention some of Playstation's historical IP's ala Jak & Daxter,Sly Raccoon, Little Big Planet, Resistance, Motorstorm & others unlike Shuhei Yoshida, or Shawn Layden would.
His prattling on of ways to expand IP's to other mediums rather smacks of Xbox's disastrous Xbox One "TV,TV,TV!",launch.
Unfortunately, the legacy of Jim Ryan & Herman Hulst's mismanagement has seen the upper echelon of Sony group executives weilding a far tighter financial reign on Playstation operations & it feels like the "suits" rather than management with knowledge of & appreciation of their gaming fanbase that are calling the shots now.
Given Hulst was hyping up Concord prior to release & was taking advice from the likes of Bungie Execs suggest it's his failings to surround himself with objective management rather than people wanting to keep an out of his depth boss happy that was the real failing.
Re: Bungie Boss Pete Parsons Departs as Sony Starts to Take Control of Flagging Dev
@wiiware @CP2 Yep,if there's one talent Hermen Hulst clearly has is being a fast talker to Investor calls & Hiroki Totoki ("It was all Jim's fault,I was just following his orders!").ππ
If memory serves,(& obviously the prequel), Helldivers II started development before Hulst's reign of chaos. Guessing it possibly had a more AA level funding too,albeit I'm sure the dev studio these days enjoy top support to keep them on board as the guardians of one of Playstation's few hits in the multiplayer sphere this generation.
Re: Bungie Boss Pete Parsons Departs as Sony Starts to Take Control of Flagging Dev
Another executive getting a golden parachute payout. Have seen some worthwhile YouTube videos which mentioned between his & a fellow ex-Microsoft's ascension as Bungie execs several of the veterans actually responsible for their earlier Halo hits were moved on or "retired",prior to the original Destiny.
Unfortunately, the rather clueless Jim Ryan & newly annoited Hermen Hulst as his captain's pick to takeover Worldwide Studios from Shuhei Yoshida (& Shawn Layden as U.S. Studios head prior to that),& enact a massive live service push within Playstation fell for Bungie's "expertise" hook,line & sinker!π
We've heard Shuhei mention the factions TLOU spin off played well,(albeit ND weren't Rockstar sized to continue big content updates ala GTAO & juggle new single player projects). But other projects within Playstation quietly cancelled or not given a green light.
Long time veteran Playstation studios producers quietly departed for ex-Guerilla colleagues who worked under Hulst taking their place. New studio start-ups included the likes of recently departed Bungie talent to fund the likes of Concord & Bungie & Hulst were absolutely convinced they had their Fortnite style mega hit...which bombed like Tunguska!
Add to it flopped Destiny releases & further Bungie lay-offs to compensate & boost flagging kpi's to try avoid Sony contractual takeover & you get the present mess that has represented Worldwide Studios output under Hermen Hulst's mismanagement.
Jim Ryan quietly announces his "retirement" en route to mass Playstation Studios lay-offs & closures,& the decidedly non-gaming now Sony group chairman Hiroki Totoki taking the reigns of Playstation long enough to note the sea of red spending by Ryan & Hulst on Bungie & flops like Concord & clearly demanded changes.
How Hermen Hulst has retained his job during a decidedly messy tenure & listening to the departing Bungie's head "expertise",on live service games is still something I'm puzzled at!π€π
Re: BioShock Infinite Executive Returns to Rescue BioShock 4 from Dev Hell
@Bettyswollocks Bioshock Infinite being part of that "elite" circle of games like Watchdogs etc., with vertical slice demo's promising so much extra you couldn't help but wonder if you'd stumbled into an alternate Mandela/ Berestain Bear alternate timeline!π€―π
The reality sadly if they were waiting on Ken Levine to stop dreaming up new mechanics & ideas,they'd be still probably very aiming for a ps5 or ps6 release window!
Judging from the last we'd heard anything on his latest game,they'll probably need this director's help to pull "something" together for that too by the time he gets whatever Bioshock 4 ends up as. π
Re: BioShock Infinite Executive Returns to Rescue BioShock 4 from Dev Hell
Given 2K's parent company Take-two were happy enough to dish out Grand Theft Auto Trilogy "definitive edition" in its infamous shambolic state,(Sorry! To quote Strauss Zoellick just a bug or two!ππ€―),one wonders what shape this must be in to fail Take-two's low bar!π±π
Re: 'They Don't Know What They're Doing': Analyst Sticks the Boot in Sony's 'Clueless' Management
Pachter is pretty clueless on the musical chairs of of Playstation senior management sequence...though I do agree the losses of the likes of Shawn Layden & Shuhei Yoshida have been very much felt by gamers as they communicated with them & were passionate about gaming.
Jim Ryan ushered in the "beancounter/kpi" middle management including appointing Hermen Hulst whom in turn seemingly surrounded himself with ex-guerilla or bungie talent,(keeping in mind a number of Bungie talent responsible for their earlier Halo hits had left or were moved on by the ex-microsoft management that took control prior to Destiny) as his creative group & advising Jim Ryan.
Unfortunately,after their expensive misfires, you then had the decidedly non-gaming Sony group head Totoki now looking over their shoulders & demanding making up for lost revenue from the Playstation cash cow,.
How Hulst still retains his role is beyond me, but you can't help but wonder another Concord like flop is directly related to his being incognito outside of shareholder meetings which is ironic considering how prolific his predecessors were.
Re: These 11+ PS5, PS4, and PS Plus Games Are Coming Out Next Week (18th-24th August)
Whilst RE2 & RE3 are welcome additions (& live up to the classics label), that they've come far later than GOG getting all three RE Classic titles, & Dino Crisis & Breath of Fire IV,shows far more vigour on GOG's behalf than Sony has done. You don't see Sony put up a dreamlist request site to make votes/submissions on.
Likewise,still far too few third party participants,which goes back to whom in third party relations or PS Plus services is supposedly chasing content for the service?
Just feels like when you're waiting for dinner at a restaurant soo long it makes the garlic bread or bread roll feel like the best darn thing you ever had! Given the price increases we should be getting more than crumbs!
Re: A Quote from a Sony Exec Is Causing a Hubbub Among PS5 Fans Again
Much as I'd speculated in the Helldivers 2 Xbox thread the other day...no thanks to Jim Ryan & his Worldwide Studios "captain's pick" Hermen Hulst's questionable acquisition of Bungie & choices of pushing Concord & other multiple live service games,only to cancel a bunch after the Concord disaster & Jim's "retirement".
Remember when now Sony Group CEO Hiroki Totoki in his interim Playstation CEO role talked about Playstation needed to make games more efficiently? That wasn't just about cutting staff or replacing them all with A.I. (We hope!). Hermen Hulst probably still only has his job on the promise he'll find Playstation's COD, GTA Online,Fortnite first party pot of gold....
To which someone like Totoki an executive who makes Jim Ryan look like a Hardcore gamer,probably then insisted if Sony's going big on live service development why keep it Playstation walled Gardens?
Unfortunately for PS Gamers, the days of gaming centric execs like Shawn Layden, Shuhei Yoshida etc, feel like they're getting more distant by the day...the "player engagement", bean counters are seemingly running rule over creative choices now.π
Re: PS3's Store Has Been Broken for a Day, Forcing Fans to Fear the Worst
@get2sammyb That last bit of the article almost has me imagining a Sony engineer being on the phone to some Indian or Philippines call centre telling them to unplug the modem cable,& turn off the modem & wait a minute before rebooting it!ππ
Back on topic. Remember when the lousy hacker(s) brought down Litle Big Planet, Sony was pretty quiet on the communication front before declaring it too hard (reads too expensive to update an old ps3 game),& finally admit it was permanently shut down?
Just suggesting never underestimate a bean counter mentality as much as its likely hopefully just a maintenance issue.
Re: PlayStation the Driving Force Behind Xbox's Helldivers 2 Port
"It was all Sony"....very true,I'm sure...as I'm also sure after Jim Ryan/Hermen Hulst blew 3 billion plus on a Bungie minus the veterans behind its earlier hits,& other short sighted choices like Concord, led Sony Group executive asking Playstation execs "if you're making live service games costing millions,why aren't you putting them on multiple platforms?", sort of pressure,I suspect!π
Unfortunately for PS Owners, the bean counters are well & truly calling the shots now.
Re: Sony Sues Tencent Over 'Shameless' Horizon Copycat Coming to PS5
So where has the lawsuir actually been filed then? Just curious if this is in Tencent's "home stadium",of a China State Court or in a US or Japan court wherein Sony would presumably have more IP lawyers? π€
Guessing the main reason Sony's taking this step (& risking relations with the Behemoth that is Tencent, not that I'm any fan of their widespread reach),is Tencent would possibly be publishing this on Steam/Epic,or Xbox etc., where Sony would be battling DCMA claims on multiple store fronts?
Re: Worried About AI in Game Development? It's Here, and It's Only Getting Worse
I'm sure there's some clever people out there who can tell me all the wonderful things A.I. can do to help our society....but I'm also reminded of a term taught by my computer teacher in late high school (secondary school as I believe its called in some regions of the world)....GIGO=Garbage In Garbage Out.
Despite the passage of time, one look at AI on social media platforms & some of the slop on PSN,Steam etc.,which is an insult to the creative indies out there & I can't help but think of how much GIGO I see around the place these days!πππ
Re: Beat-'Em-Up Fans Won't Want to Miss This New PS5, PS4 Compilation
Not 100% sure as hadn't bought the First & Second Samurai compilation I've rarely seen pop up on PSN sales...but pretty sure on GOG Store where they also sell them, user reviews have mentioned they're using SNES ports of them rather than the Amiga originals.
Can only speculate,but given the current legal mess that represents Amiga rights ownership (not to be confused with the in progress Commodore situation),sadly rarely see Amiga versions of any retro releases,which is a great shame.
Re: July 2025's PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Available to Download Now
Hope it's okay to post the question here mods, but after redeeming Diablo IV without issue on PS Plus, I've noticed it's effectively unavailable to purchase anymore in the PS Store!π
Only see the expansions & mtx currencies advertised.
Was under the impression they offered a separate PS Plus version to avoid the issue these days!
Does this mean one needs a separate account or have to get in touch with PS Support to buy it on a later sale?π€
Re: 2,800+ PS5, PS4 Games Going Cheap in New PS Store Summer Sale
Apologies for going a bit off topic...but after redeeming Diablo IV without issue on PS Plus, I've noticed it's effectively unavailable to purchase anymore in the PS Store!π
Only see the expansions & mtx currencies advertised.
I thought they offered a separate PS Plus version to avoid these issues now! Does this mean one needs a separate account or have to get in touch with PS Support to buy it on a later sale?π€
Re: Tony Hawk's Latest Game Mistakenly Trashes Dead Activision IP
As per other posts here,I agree its less likely to be any dig at the devs & far more a tongue in cheek dig at Activision & in particular Bobby Kotick's incredible knack at running multiple franchises into the ground,& then throwing said devs onto the train tracks or gutted into being a COD support studio.
The irony is,there's reports going around the the Microsoft lay-offs are seemingly impacting smaller studios that either had games funded by them,or doing support work in larger projects having their funding/work pulled too & Iron Galaxy is among those named.
A rumour for now, but guess we'll see in time if any future closures possibly happen.π
Re: Cory Barlog Busy on Sony Santa Monica's 'Next Big Thing'
@get2sammyb Might be mistaken,but before the God of War reboot on PS4 wasn't there a rumour that Santa Monica were working on some sort of sci-fi game that was ultimately cancelled?π€
Might be a means for a project to be "new" & old if maybe rebooting whatever that was? Keeping in mind The Last Guardian was in purgatory until the PS4 saw them retool it from PS3 & Until Dawn from its PS Move origins into what it eventuated as on PS4. Just a thought!
Re: GTA 4 PS5, PS4 Port Rumours Continue to Pick Up Pace
Whilst GTA IV didn't grab me in the same way as the classic era Trilogy or RDR 1,would still be a welcome addition. Still bugs me how RDR & in theory this port (Wonder if Double Eleven are handling it again?),lack a native ps5 version!
I see the GTA Trilogy "definitive edition" rarely on shelves these days,but obviously it lacks the ps5 upgrade,so you're stuck with the higher priced version on PSN.
Whilst we enjoy ps4 backwards compatibility (with a few exceptions),on PS5,Mark Cerny has explained in chats like with Digital Foundry, that it requires engineering within the APU setup. In theory,staying with AMD should retain the fixes for a PS6, but all you need is a short sighted bean counter executive declare its too expensive a production cost & drop it as a feature!
Just a bit weird if they don't release a native version,even if unenhanced!
Wonder if like GTA Vice City & SA,if it'll feature a reduced track list? They removed a bunch of songs in a ps3 update when licences expired years ago,didn't they? Cos we all know Take-two Strauss Zelnick is the living Scrooge McDuck! π
Re: 'We're Just Getting Started': Sony Marks 15 Years of PS Plus with Future Pledge
I'm loathe to suggest more tiers when we're already 3-4...but given the multiple price hikes in regions like mine Down Under,(unlike the U.S.),& ZERO PS Plus Essential subscription sales for existing subscribers, I'd potentially be open to a cheaper Essential subscription that still gives PSN sale bonus discounts & drop the "free" games entirely. Or keep the current model but stop the cheapskate nonsense of upgrade only "sales" on subs. Its just pure greed only certain regions continually get hikes effectively subsidising others.
PS Deluxe was allegedly a stop gap for those territories that didn't have PS Now, but never seen any expansion of it & given the price of Deluxe here, Premium would be too expensive even if they bothered with it.
Totally agree with @get2Sammyb an expansion of the PS Classics with better engagement of wishlisting with fans, AND chasing third party PS1,PS2 etc., titles would be preferred. And IF PS3 emulation is still in the too hard basket (& to be fair, RPCS3 needs a PC with decent grunt to get the best out of it), then expand or get a Bluepoint like studio to handle stuff like Resistance, LBP, Motorstorm, Infamous, LBP Karting, even Rain,ICO etc, onto current gen. You don't have to do full blown 4k remakes, but its a way to test the waters & if players like them, then you have opportunities to follow up. More worthwhile than the next cancelled Fortnite wannabe from Hermen Hulst!
Re: Publishers Pitch Sony on Adding Retro Classics to PS Plus
@Nakatomi_Uk Well its on GOG Store at least! Not sure why Breath of Fire 3 was't added too! Whether that leads to an eventual PSN/ Classics release time will tell!π€ Just feel like the wishlisting feature at GOG feels way more visible than how things could be done for Playstation old school gamers!
Love seeing other's posts on games they'd like to see added!! Good stuff!