The sad thing is when you see previously successful devs like Monolith being tasked with making something "live services" focused out of an IP not designed for it,then get blamed for it by the same upper management geniuses & shown the door,the same said idiots still collect their bonuses or golden parachute, whilst good studios get shut down.
Meantime,ideas like Monolith's Nemesis system that worked well for the LOTR games are now residing in the patent toy chest in the attic,whilst it's creators will never be able to use it.
Much like Hermen Hulst,it's remarkable how certain execs manage to avoid the axe whilst throwing their own captain's call misfires under the bus!🙄😕
Going to feel different not having Kevin Cooroy being Bruce Wayne...albeit as a fan of the Animated series,Justice League etc.,found Batman'Beyond's promise of classic characters "broken", bitter or dead not that enjoyable...but what do I know,current day Hollywood, Disney etc have fully embraced such story telling!!🙄😂 Moreso though,it still remains to be seen what currently represents Rocksteady today can match the older Rocksteady teams of times past that made the Arkham series.
@get2sammyb As has been reported elsewhere,Shu Yoshida also mentioned he wasn't given an option by Jim Ryan. He was either to take over & revitalise Sony's Indie Division/Initiative,(which had been left to stagnate),or take an early retirement.
Seems to infer that rather than face push back from the experienced Yoshida over most First Party Studios being pushed into mass live services expansion,Jim Ryan appointed the more agreeable Herman Hulst,& we've seen the resulting fallout in more recent times.
Whilst Yoshida clearly has a passion for gaming & may not have aspired to ever being CEO,it does make you wonder what a more measured approach of SIE First Party projects had Shu stayed there rather than Hermen Hulst throwing randomly at the dart board would've done.
Hopefully as you say,the Indie Division continues to perform as First Party studios are attempting to repivot.
Remembers the "old days",when the campaign/ story mode was the main focus...have to wonder if they'll try to force Rockstar accounts even on those that have no interest in multiplayer?🤔
Part of the issue though is noted sometime ago during PSN sales etc ,there was no option to digitally purchase Days Gone if you got it on PS Plus. Ditto several other Sony published titles like Concrete Genie, I think Resogun & (though now fully Quantic Dream),but despite buying the Heavy Rain/Beyond Two Souls compilation,the latter remains 'locked" on my recently lapsed PS Plus Essential subscription.
Realise it was only more recent years that Sony introduced the option to buy PS Plus titles by virtue of being essentially two different SKU's/versions on PSN. But its a shame they never sought to correct fixing some of their own older PS Plus games with versions that could be digitally purchased if you enjoyed their PS Plus release.😕
Must admit Age of Empires & Age of Mythology II seeing light of day on PS5 wasn't on the 2025 bingo card. Though I still note the irony that "game anywhere" Gamer Phil Spencer can't seem to embrace GOG Store for PC....indeed only recently they removed the "classic" Warcraft & Warcraft II games. Oh well,hopefully manages a decent translation to gamepad vs mouse/keyboard.🤞
Andrew Wilson: I knew it! Single player games are sooo PS2 era! We didn't have enough loot boxes! Just wait for Mass Effect Theft Spaceship Auto Online! The players will have tears in their eyes thanking us!🙄😂
TBH, if they were to attempt a port,would think it'd make better sense to get the PC version playable via console.
That said,if there were EA titles I'd be more interested in via PS1/PS2 Classics, maybe on Syndicate Wars,(though already was on GOG), or Theme Park/Hospital, Wing Commander 3 or 4,the Need for Speed series,(esp. Underground 1 & 2),the SSX Series, maybe MOH Frontline are a few that come to mind I'd really like to see! Or indeed the Desert/Jungle Strike series from their 16bit era!
Having had a peek at the PS App,& will politely skip the "generous" $3 odd to upgrade to Extra or $4+ for Deluxe for the next two weeks,I note thereafter both are still very much full price, nevermind that Essential is $96 my region.😔
There's a few games I'm annoyed I'll be locked out of eg:Beyond Two Souls despite having bought it again via the Heavy Rain compilation, Days Gone,& the Oddworld Abe's Oddysee remake among others not having a second version you can choose to buy on PSN, so they're tied to PS Plus only.
Although I may well get Essential again at some point,that ever since Jim Ryan era management introduced the tiered levels & nixxed buying PS Plus subscriptions in Bricks & Mortar retail,they have killed any of the traditional discount periods for Essential subs with it! 😕
Clearly not affecting their bottom line that much,but given I rarely played online & used Plus more for the occasional extra discounts on PSN sales,(& i suppose technically cloud save storage),just don't find any incentive to renew given they clearly don't care to do discounts for Essential users these days.😑
I still have my doubts about how long a campaign/story mode GTA VI will have this time,or if Rockstar/ Take-two try to force needing an always online Rockstar account? 🤔
Maybe they can slip in another job advert for a SIE Worldwide Studios head & co-Ceo position. One that has experience in overseeing successful single & multiplayer AAA gaming. & dev studio management....qualifications the current incumbent seems to be a bit out of his depth on! 🙄 The sad part is though two such talented studios having been wasted for effectively an entire console generation with nothing to show for it!
One of SIE Worldwide Studios strengths back amongst the PS4 era with the the likes of Layden,Shuhei Yoshida etc.,was their talking about the creative freedoms they apparently had. Not to say there weren't setbacks (God of War needed reworking after one infamous Yoshida visit).
Unfortunately as Jim Ryan & Hermen Hulst became aware of the Activision whispers their approach was much like Netflix's reaction to everyone starting up their own streaming service & greenlight anything with the proviso it had live service or be standalone online.
Add to that wooing Bungie & taking their upper management (& spin offs like those involved with Concord),& Hulst seemingly surrounding himself with other Guerilla or Bungie experts & the departures of dev studio veterans & a lack of anyone to push back & when Sony accountants started questioning what the outlays had brought back in you get the results.
Whilst Hulst in his rare Jim Ryan like interviews had already seemed to have little appreciation of Playstation's gaming IP vault,it feels like he's had more misses than hits in terms of shutting projects & studios down & yet has been promoted rather than shown the door.😑
Given how he spurned a Days Gone sequel, largely wasted Bluepoint's talent like many other SIE studios all chasing live service Gold, cancelled or closed other studios whilst insisting on Concord's release one has to wonder how Hermen Hulst not only remained as Worldwide Studios head but effectively get promoted into co-CEO Chair!
When we've seen the likes of not only Layden, & now Shuhei Yoshida retire from Playstation but even go back to the likes of creatives like Bruce Straley,(that oversaw the original TLOU & Uncharted 4 among others),Amy Hennig & others moved along it rather boggles the mind how Hulst has maintained his role.🤔
Not sure if it was the feeling the ending felt a bit rushed but liked the first game a tad more. That said,some spooky moments & death around the corner in this! And loads better than when publishers turned on point & clicks & forced 3d elements like moving crates to gain a wider audience. (Before the likes of Uncharted came along at least).
Just be careful opening chests in attics of dotty old ladies!👻
Sony wants it's first party COD,Fortnite, GTA Online live service cash cow so it's not reliant on a third party that could be snapped up by someone & yanked from the PSN later. In itself, that isn't a bad concept.
But execution of the idea to reality is another matter. Forcing previously successful single player focused studios devs into making such games with the same sized teams or throwing vast sums at untested teams & having independent playtesters/middle management that shouldn't have to fear for their jobs if they found the likes of Concord not that fun to play despite Mr Hulst's personal hype to the contrary is very much in his control.
There'd been the rumours of previous backroom SIE producers of long standing departing after Hulst's promotions to head of SIE & now co-CEO,& his seemingly adding ex Guerilla colleagues in their place at SIE instead. Whilst it's no new concept in any corporate, maybe Mr Hulst should take note that appointing a bunch of nodding heads isn't always conducive to good decisions if he was too close to the Concord execs to see a dud in the making.
Santa Monica studio infamously referred to a visit by then SIE head Shuhei Yoshida's less than happy reaction to a God of War vertical slice of gameplay & said the final ps4 release that blew most away was the result of that criticism.
The last racing games I'd enjoyed had been the likes of the long absent Motorstorm series,or LBP Karting,or before that the NFS Underground PS2 games. Suicide Squad just doesn't interest me,tacked on offlibe mode or not. The best of DC were the Batman games.
Just leaves Stanley Parable & a soon to expire PS Plus essential...but the lack of any discounts like during the recent Black Friday or Boxing day sales like one used to get buying PS Plus codes in Bricks & mortar retailers has killed the incentive to renew ahead of expiry.
Yep,I know they did offer the incentive for those upgrading tiers but sad state of affairs you have to wait for your current sub to lapse to hope you'll get a discount to resub later. Leaves stuff like Days Gone or Concrete Genie locked with no buyable alternative on PSN even if it goes on sale!
Would I love to see a PS3 emulation & the likes of Sony's catalogue of locked titles like LBP 1 & 2, Infamous,Motorstorm series, Resistance, Sly 4, or the mainstream Ratchet & Clank games or even ones like Rain etc.,appear? Yes.
The main but I have thus far,& not necessarily Implicit Conversions fault,but how hard has whomever the nameless Sony management overseeing the backwards compatibility/ PS Deluxe Classics programme been chasing third party content to bolster up the PS1 & PS2 range?🤔
We had to wait a long time to finally see Dino Crisis,(let alone be able to purchase it),& RE 2 & 3 Classic have still to see light of day despite making it to GOG store. Not holding my breath on seeing the likes of PS1 Colony Wars or Adventures of Lomax?
Or chasing Ubisoft for the PS2 era Splinter Cell games,or E.A. for the PS2 SSX series, or NFS Underground games? Or Rockstar for GTA LCS/VCS? Unfortunately can see music licensing being used too easily to shrug their shoulders for some of the latter.😑
But there's definitely more opportunities to attract & bolster the functional if not spectacular emulation they already have for PS1 & 2 titles....would be such a waste of developing another classics programme like they did on PS4 only to drop it & find most of games didn't work on PS5 until having to come up with a whole new engine from scratch.
As to whether or not the protagonist in Intergalactic proves likeable or comes off like the Beyond Good & Evil 2 swearing gorillas time will tell. (Still disappointed me when I just wanted to continue Jade's story there).
Thus far,it's hard to judge much on a cinematic. Will any spaceship parts be playable or more likely the ground based wannabe light sabre bits?🤔 Will it take an RPG lite approach like Horizon on upgrades & skill trees? Lots to learn yet before making judgements on the gameplay yet.
As for sensible discourse on such things, one only has to see the current flood of fuzzy camera "drone" footage & hysteria that an Independence Day Alien invasion is upon us to guess how likely that sort of debate will turn out! 2024....I still wonder if Biff stole Doc Brown's Delorean & squashed a butterfly with the sports almanac at some point!😬
Seen the dispatch style mechanic used before in the likes of This Is The Police,but certainly looks a bit flashier than it was & bit of Incredibles style humour mixed in. Got my interest,hopefully comes on PS5 too. PC wishlist meantime to keep a watch!
Still saddens me how Beyond Good & Evil 2 pivoted from a probable single player sequel to continue the story of finding P'eyj to that MMORPG "thing" with swearing gorillas & live services masquerading as a sequel!
Ubisoft's problems are numerous,but abandoning single player franchises like Rayman, Splinter Cell etc.,& having cookie cutter Assassin Creed, & Far Cry sequels sure didn't help!
Did see among the mass outpourings of tweets from indies & outside third parties,to the current & former Playstation staff one from Greg Rice (formerly business manager of Double Fine before),who joined the Indies team headed up by Shu Yoshida. In tweeting his well wishes to him Shu responded "it's all in your hands now Greg", which might be a sign he'll be taking over.🤔
That said,he'd been overseeing a separate Indie initiative called Day of the Devs but that seems separate from Greg Rice's Playstation duties,so who knows!
But agree,much like a Shawn Layden,that they could nominate old obscure titles just as easily as they could a big AAA title across each gen showed their passion was about games being fun as much as their roles were to make blockbusters. That random people could hit Shu up on twitter & ask what he's playing or recommended in sales & it wasn't corporate speak "engagement"....
One only has to look at the PS Blog,or PS Social channels or where the likes of Herman Hulst etc., avoid any interaction unless it's some high end publication ala WIRED etc. (And has gone into hiding just about since Concord).
@Rob_230 Yep, this 100%. Been fearing this day would come,but agree like departures of Sean Layden or Adam Boyes,they were execs who not only enjoyed their games,but could nominate smaller more obscure titles just as easily as big AAA ones. Even more so as you say,he was easily the most senior exec still there that would chat directly with gamers.
Compare that to Hermen Hulst as SIE head who'd only speak to sites like WIRED ,(much as Jim Ryan),& only interactions would be an Avatar change. As someone touched on Greg Rice has been part of Yoshida's team to turn around their indie coverage. But did note he seems less involved heading up a Day of the Devs initiative first started at his previous job at Double Fine.
Like you say,the lack of other prominent execs that interact in the same way as those past did be it twitter or even on their own PS Blog doesn't help that feeling of disconnect. 😕
A definite loss,but certainly been a great & positive force behind the scenes as he was at the coalface. One can only hope his replacement will be as good.
Whilst the silence on what was an own goal in the first instance was disappointing,at least it's finally been fixed. Given GOG has been touting having "classic" RE 1-3 available on PC to buy,it'd made Capcom's refusal to do the same on PSN even more puzzling!🤔
Now let's hope it can extend to more Capcom titles (& more third party titles generally), eg: Maximo Quest for Glory/Army of Zin, RE 2 & 3, Dino Crisis 2,Ultimate Ghosts'n'Goblins, Breath of Fire Fire 3 to suggest a few?
Something overlooked in these Lego Horizon articles has been the absence of TT Games who were involved during the Lego licensed Golden run be it Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter 1 & 2, Lego Marvel Superheroes etc. Things sadly went astray there with more so-so licenses or incomplete ones ala Lego Hobbit etc.
Likewise the departure,retirement of several veterans there as WB extended their control of the studio. At their creative zenith (as much as you could say Lego cookie cutter game design), you could imagine the sort of humour they could apply & possible game worlds to retell things the "Lego way",(the banana arrows in LOTR still make me smile!).
Insofar as the lack of success of recent full priced remakes like the buggy Until Dawn (with little new content & no upgrade path for existing owners), TLOU, or the unpopular Concord in the last year or so,that firmly comes on now Co-CEO & SIE Worldwide Studios Hermen Hulst.
On one hand you have Sony 2IC Totoki say they're in need of more IP's,& yet there's been multiple older IP's like LBP, Infamous,Sly Raccoon, Jak and Daxter ,Twisted Metal, even Colony Wars, etc all sitting in the IP Toy chest in the attic.
Mr Hulst appears to be focused on either finding the next COD live service first party hits or more keen towards Guerilla or other creative heads he's closest to vs niche titles of the past ala Last Guardian,SOTC, Concrete Genie etc.
He might have his favourite studios or pet projects in the works,but they're not necessarily resonating with wider audiences. Playstation gamers tended to trust the likes of Sean Layden or Shuhei Yoshida who knew their PS History in a way that Hermen has struggled to connect with since.
Used to always take advantage of either mid-year or this time of year to grab a PS Plus sub from a brick & mortar store.
Ever since they introduced the Essential, Extra, & Deluxe not only has the ability to buy a subscription anywhere but PSN vanished, the discounts have mostly gone with it. 😕😑
Whilst there's little doubt a cheapskate Take-two allocated little resources as observed by the missing songs compared to the PS2 versions,& feigning ignorance at the dodgy trailers that omitted any gameplay....its also no small irony the same Grove Street Games that released the equally trashfire PS3 San Andreas,& retasking their buggy mobile efforts into A.I. & dumped out the "remastered trilogy" shouldn't be complaining.🙄 They seemingly were happy to block or spam complaints over obvious bugs & performance to Rockstar Support whilst patting themselves on the back. Modders on the PC scene with NO official budgets & off their own backs had released various GTA Mods that put the laughable A.I. efforts to shame!
Instead of shutting modders down,its a shame Take-two don't fund a Rockstar Classics studio & let them work their magic brining the older games to modern platforms!
@get2sammyb Whilst Take-two being cheapskates on renewing music licensing on several of the original soundtracks (ironic for a so called "definitive edition"),sadly will never be fixed,I will be curious to hear if the "falling through the textures" bugs like the ramp to the cargo ship in Vice City or the area near its Airport that did the rounds have been addressed? 🤔
@get2sammyb Unfortunately the "reclusive Sony" approach has been much in play since Jim Ryan took over & is still in play with the new management.
Much as you touched on years ago,since the departure of the likes of then Sony Third Party Relations Adam Boyes or the much missed Sean Layden as US SIE head,a public "face" of Playstation has been missing.
Whilst there's no doubting roles like CEO involve a lot more than simply interacting with Gamers on social media,away from the likes of Shuhei Yoshida being the face of Playstation Indies or Mark Cerny as the face of new console announcements you'd be hard pressed to remember anything Herman Hulst engaged with gamers on when SIE Head apart from changing avatars...& the social/P.R. people have had a mixed bag on delivering showcases or the PS Blog.
Likewise,instead of talking to gaming sites first & foremost they seemingly talk to Wired,Variety etc. Not exactly the sites Playstation gamers are likely to read their gaming news.
It'll be a sad day the likes of Yoshida or Cerny retire,because there doesn't feel like anyone else in coming through that'd take up the baton.
Why do I get the nagging feeling that the CWA probably had some previous "settlement" over buyout concerns (much like Activision also making the numerous lawsuits involving Kotick etc disappear),& this word salad came after a quick anonymous call reminded their execs the deal didn't have an expiry date?!🙄
After all,remember when several members of American Congress (from both sides) suddenly started the inquisition of the FTC "bullying" poor little Microsoft & why they weren't supporting a "Murican" mega corporation buying another USA megacorp?
I'm not suggesting Sony was saintly with Jim Ryan & Hermen Hulst having gone on a live service expansion spree hoping to find the elusive first party COD pot of gold.....until seemingly reigned in by a nervous upper Sony Group executive like 2IC Totoki in his reign as acting CEO.
After the previous layoffs & cancellations across Worldwide Studios, one can only speculate that Hulst protected Concorde on the basis he expected it to sell big & been left cleaning up his mess & possibly a bit less clout now than he might’ve had prior to his promotion.
If memory serves part of the reasoning for splitting the CEO roles was supposedly feedback from Jim Ryan in part.
The other part not mentioned here is also 2IC of Sony group Totoki,whom seemingly is keeping a tighter financial leash on the Playstation division especially in light of the multi billion outlay for the likes of Bungie & probably has questioned the value on return thus far...🤔
@get2sammyb @Gravity_Bear Living across the pond from Gravity Bear Down Under. Currently the PS App now only shows a $15AU redeemable option for 3,750 points. Can't recall the lower amount before if it was $7.50 or $10 or similar... but do know I had been close to the $30AU for 7,500pts which has vanished.
I'm pretty sure the older "smaller" walket option was less value vs saving for the $30AU option. So in theory can get 2×$15AU credits & haven't "lost" anything....But that was after having to accept the new Terms of Service & 12months expiration.
PS Lifestyle & PS Profiles mention various responses of PS Support,one saying it was a "glitch",& will return soon,& another saying the total removal of wallet options was intentional.
As usual,not only is the budget outsourced "support" centre Sony uses is clear as swamp or Loch NESS,but Sony P.R. is completely silent communicating what the PS Rewards changes are beyond the new 12 month points expiration. 🙄
Communicating wasn't exactly a strong point under Jim Ryan,but somehow the new management make the old regime look like a gossiping bunch of parrots in comparison!
@Fishnpeas @Mostik @sanderson72 Been seeing some posts on twitter from OG creator Andy Davidson...seemingly asking Amiga modders & sceners to contribute new levels for a "Worms 1.5" project of sorts. Not tied into official release AFAIK,but Team 17 have given their blessing. So might be worth firing up WinUAE or similar & keep an eye out!
Agree its a shame there's no Amiga version being offered but given the mess of Amiga tech ownership & those still trying to milk $$ over anything related to it,guessing it leads to most publishers doing retro releases a wide berth 😕
Despite the rarity of seeing the Amiga Turrican games again in the Collections for them, I see ININ have gone with a modern remake of X-Out. Oh well,Chris Huelsbeck is providing new tracks for that!🤓😎
@get2sammyb Just how much of the musical interludes have changed? Though a while since I last played it through,do recall the background music to be suitably creepy & atmospheric! Seems bizarre choice dropping it!🙄😕
Agree the lack of upgrade options & lack of new content to justify the price...even if they'd done something like reworking The Inpatient "prequel" from its PSVR origins might’ve at least offered something extra.
Whilst Jim Ryan ultimately signed the cheques on the likes of this & purchases like Bungie,(the latter no doubt in regards to Microsoft buying ABK, Zenimax etc),really does bring a focus on "prmoted upwards",Hermen Hulst's tenure as SIE Studios head & no co-CEO.
In the rare interviews given,he'd be gushing about their going big or go home approach to AAA Live service games,or buying Firewalk,PC or Mobile devs,but away from his TV/Movie spin off projects,(admitted,successful for those who liked those sort of things),TLOU/Uncharted babies & HZD remasters etc.,we never really hear him talk about PS Gaming history in the way a Shu Yoshida,or Shawn Layden etc.,could.
Implicit Conversions clearly has a fraction of the resources (& isn't even first party),porting mostly PSP,& occasional PS1/PS2 titles & nowhere near the amount of third party content there should be.
Opportunities to test some of the PS3 titles like Motorstorm series,Resistance,Little Big Planet etc with mtx add ons,much less ports of Sly Raccoon, classic Ratchet,Ico,Twisted Metal to test doing full borne remakes have gone missing. Nevermind the games cancelled in the past year or two & studios closed whilst noone made the hard call here.
God of War infamously had to pivot it's development after a Shu Yoshida visit & they acknowledge it made the game better. Away from his Guerilla Games bubble can Hulst do the same ?
In the shorter ti medium term might not make too much difference to gamers for games already published & out there. BUT will be a right royal pain to indie devs either working on unreleased titles,or existing ones recently released regarding console ports, patch updates etc.,if managed by the publisher.
New staff,& wherein they need to learn the various PSN,Eshop,,XB Store backends,ditto the third party who might’ve had good relationships with the old staff are suddenly dealing with new crew for PSN,Gamepass deals etc.
The old crew likely have a backer,& be up & running sooner than later,but the indie devs tied to existing deals will be left feeling like the meat in the sandwich meantime!
@get2sammyb The decision to add a 2tb SSD more expensive,(cheaper than when the ps5 expansion slot was enabled though),but wise given the file sizes needed...whether if the higher resolution textures are included in the same standard ps5 game update files time will tell i guess!🤔
Unfortunately,one only has to look at the Nvidia/AMD GPU Duopoly (& typically AMD being a gen behind on raytracing tech),as far as what constitutes mid range "value" 192bit gpu's now being around $900-$1200+ (My region),depending on if you're team green or team red to realise even the "cheap" 128bit cards being $600-700 that next gen PS6 & Xbox won't be cheaper & probably more than PS5 launch prices were.😕
Might help if they didn't have a CEO who had only worked at one of their in-house Studios (not including the ones they closed!),prior to being promoted to his World Wide studios role wherein he focused on remasters for TV tie-ins!🙄😂
Just brainstorming off the top of my head, but Legend of Dragoon, Lomax, Colony Wars, Wipeout, Alundra (at least as UK publisher), Motor Toon Grand Prix, Lemmings. Then Jak, Ratchet, Sly Raccoon,Getaway(?),Infamous, Motorstorm, Last Guardian,SOTC/ICO, Twisted Metal (forgetting the last one like an Indiana Jones sequel!),Litlle Big Planet, LBP Karting (effectively morphing Mod Nation racers into it),Resistance.
Daresay I've left some others ala Rain etc.,from Studio Japan but I am glad for Astrobot. But yep, maybe hire some execs & managers that know your catalogue! Or maybe its more code for 'Stuff that can be turned into our own GTA/COD cashcow"?🙄😂
Back in my former lifetime of being (ultimately), a games store manager we initially had ps4 copies ship of Saints Row 4(?), ship on release which shipped with the "full" EU version with certain banned Aussie content thanks to our quaint classification rules which even updated saw previously MA15+ games mostly get tagged as R18+!
Don't think I sold any of the offending copies before we got ordered to pull them off the shelves & ship them back,but I imagine a small number slipped out there.
Before my time on release,but also later we couldn't trade in the Hot Coffee ps2 GTA San Andreas even though you needed an Action Replay (not sold by the store),to even access it after that version was recalled.
Whilst I know Playstation marketing seems to prefer pushing the mega blockbusters &/or new indies, the Suikoden games were very much part of PS1 folklore as per the later Final Fantasy games were! Missed opportunity...again!
Oh well,at least no timed exclusives. Let's hope the delay has meant Konami has allowed the devs to do the job properly rather than rush it out on the back of Eiyuden Chronicle's launch. 🙏🤞
Activision decided to pull out of single player titles in favour of live service games".... More like due to Bobby Kotick "investing" in an army of lawyers & NDA "settlements",trying to get the Microsoft buyout across the line & give himself a golden parachute!🙄
In my region still 900 odd points short of reaching the elusive $30 7500pts,so sadly guessing I'll unlikely hit it before the changes start influencing things...
Albeit even if they'd announced it on the PS Blog, I get stuck in an endless loop logging in on the Web or the App -but then doesn't allow me leave any posts/feedback anymore!😕🤐
Goes to show not much has changed in the post Jim Ryan era to the previous one with this & pricing on remakes like Until Dawn.
Whilst the Xbox division pivoted from hardware console numbers over a generation ago,to "user engagement",Microsoft has seemingly gotten shy with sharing exacting Gamepass engagement to shareholders these days by trying to merge PC Windows & Xbox all under the same umbrella.
Whilst Satya might be aiming to assure shareholders the billions lent to Xbox is going well, you can bet internally they're looking closely at how the new multi-tiered Gamepass numbers are faring to dictate potential future multiplatform releases even if as potential "stealth drops" later
@LiamCroft @Sequel That's awesome news! 👍Always regarded Barrington 's contribution as understated much like his works in Inspector Morse/Lewis tv series,it perfectly set the mood for each & every scene.
Rented the first two games on ps1,as rarely saw them in the shops,but eventually picked them up on PC CD Rom,as I did Beneath a Steel Sky having only played the Amiga demo of the latter
It was only when upgrading to a Celeron 900mhz build from my original Celeron 266,did I learn of a hires mode for the graphics when I'd been perfectly content with the lores ones all those years,was quite an eye opener!😅
Played the DS Directors Cut which was alright but not quite as good as the original & picked up the GOG versions years later. Liam you definitely owe yourself playing the original one here! Guessing you won't need to ring a toll number Playstation hints like as I needed to multiple times to learn just exactly how you needed to pass the goat! Not so easy on the non analogue ps1 OG controller!!😂😱
I almost get the feeling Phil has gone from showing up early to Satya's board meetings (when he could use the corporate credit card ad infinitum to buy up whatever he wanted), to dreading the phone calls from HQ & needing to flash his corporate I.D badge ,& insist to Satya's secretary he definitely has an invite these days!😋
I well remember ringing the Playstation tips line toll number on Broken Sword & trying to get past that dastardly goat! 😅 Rented both hames on PS1 before buying them on PC CD ROM & eventually seeing them in high resolution mode! First game in particular with locations like Lochmarne Pub still my favourite!
Guessing they may include the Director's Cut extras which felt a bit sandwiched in compared to the originals classic opening...Paris in the Fall.
They want all their legacy fighting games on PS4/PS5? Oh good,I look forward to them putting Alien vs Predator out on anything else but an overpriced arcade fighting stick!😋
It's easy to pin this solely on Jim Ryan,(& not to suggest as SIE head he doesn't bear responsibility). But a critical part of that "entourage" is now co-SIE head Hermen Hulst either.
With stories like the recent ones about Sony looking for possible content or studio opportunities in China/India etc.,suggests Hiroshi Totoki (as previous interim SIE Head & still Sony Group 2IC) is keeping a close watch on the spreadsheets now. One only has to look at the brutal axe weilding of SIE studios & projects.
They might well still splash $$ on third party timed deals,but I doubt we'll see many multi billion studio buyouts vs smaller studios chasing that live service Gold. Its unfortunate that to seemingly claw back those overspends its not only come at a cost regarding Bungie staff,but other Sony studios (eg those in the UK),copped the repercussions.
As always,the higher ups get quiet payouts & move on,or like Hulst promoted!
@danzoEX Yep. Always found it rather strange how PS3,nevermind PS4 never saw Academy Edition,Table Tennis or GTA IV Complete edition ports...but then again look how long it took for Red Dead Redemption/Undead Nightmare to get just a PS4 gen port!🙄
Much like tightwad Take-two will never do a proper GTA "Definitive edition" with full soundtracks etc., because they don't want to fork out on certain music licensing that increased from the PS2 era! Or GTA LCS/VCS etc.😕
Comments 1,524
Re: Warner Bros. Games Closes Multiple Studios, Wonder Woman Cancelled
The sad thing is when you see previously successful devs like Monolith being tasked with making something "live services" focused out of an IP not designed for it,then get blamed for it by the same upper management geniuses & shown the door,the same said idiots still collect their bonuses or golden parachute, whilst good studios get shut down.
Meantime,ideas like Monolith's Nemesis system that worked well for the LOTR games are now residing in the patent toy chest in the attic,whilst it's creators will never be able to use it.
Much like Hermen Hulst,it's remarkable how certain execs manage to avoid the axe whilst throwing their own captain's call misfires under the bus!🙄😕
Re: Hobbit Life Sim Tales of the Shire Has Been Delayed Again, Now Out in July
If there's a cutesy,irreverent LOTR game I'd like to see again,it'd be Lego Lord of the Rings remaster!
Re: Rumour: Rocksteady's Next Single-Player Game Based on Batman Beyond, May Be a PS5 Exclusive
Going to feel different not having Kevin Cooroy being Bruce Wayne...albeit as a fan of the Animated series,Justice League etc.,found Batman'Beyond's promise of classic characters "broken", bitter or dead not that enjoyable...but what do I know,current day Hollywood, Disney etc have fully embraced such story telling!!🙄😂
Moreso though,it still remains to be seen what currently represents Rocksteady today can match the older Rocksteady teams of times past that made the Arkham series.
Re: PS5 Has Narrowed the Gap on Switch's Indie Game Sales, Says Shu Yoshida
@get2sammyb As has been reported elsewhere,Shu Yoshida also mentioned he wasn't given an option by Jim Ryan. He was either to take over & revitalise Sony's Indie Division/Initiative,(which had been left to stagnate),or take an early retirement.
Seems to infer that rather than face push back from the experienced Yoshida over most First Party Studios being pushed into mass live services expansion,Jim Ryan appointed the more agreeable Herman Hulst,& we've seen the resulting fallout in more recent times.
Whilst Yoshida clearly has a passion for gaming & may not have aspired to ever being CEO,it does make you wonder what a more measured approach of SIE First Party projects had Shu stayed there rather than Hermen Hulst throwing randomly at the dart board would've done.
Hopefully as you say,the Indie Division continues to perform as First Party studios are attempting to repivot.
Re: GTA 6 Reportedly Wants to Be the Next Big PS5 Metaverse
Remembers the "old days",when the campaign/ story mode was the main focus...have to wonder if they'll try to force Rockstar accounts even on those that have no interest in multiplayer?🤔
Re: PS Plus Copies of Days Gone Won't Offer Cheap $10 Upgrade to New PS5 Version
Part of the issue though is noted sometime ago during PSN sales etc ,there was no option to digitally purchase Days Gone if you got it on PS Plus. Ditto several other Sony published titles like Concrete Genie, I think Resogun & (though now fully Quantic Dream),but despite buying the Heavy Rain/Beyond Two Souls compilation,the latter remains 'locked" on my recently lapsed PS Plus Essential subscription.
Realise it was only more recent years that Sony introduced the option to buy PS Plus titles by virtue of being essentially two different SKU's/versions on PSN. But its a shame they never sought to correct fixing some of their own older PS Plus games with versions that could be digitally purchased if you enjoyed their PS Plus release.😕
Re: Microsoft Confirms PS5 Ports for Age of Empires 2, Age of Mythology
Must admit Age of Empires & Age of Mythology II seeing light of day on PS5 wasn't on the 2025 bingo card. Though I still note the irony that "game anywhere" Gamer Phil Spencer can't seem to embrace GOG Store for PC....indeed only recently they removed the "classic" Warcraft & Warcraft II games.
Oh well,hopefully manages a decent translation to gamepad vs mouse/keyboard.🤞
Re: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Failed Because It Wasn't Live Service, EA CEO Seems to Suggest
Andrew Wilson: I knew it! Single player games are sooo PS2 era! We didn't have enough loot boxes! Just wait for Mass Effect Theft Spaceship Auto Online! The players will have tears in their eyes thanking us!🙄😂
Re: Classic The Sims Launches on PC, But No Sign of the PS2 Versions
TBH, if they were to attempt a port,would think it'd make better sense to get the PC version playable via console.
That said,if there were EA titles I'd be more interested in via PS1/PS2 Classics, maybe on Syndicate Wars,(though already was on GOG), or Theme Park/Hospital, Wing Commander 3 or 4,the Need for Speed series,(esp. Underground 1 & 2),the SSX Series, maybe MOH Frontline are a few that come to mind I'd really like to see!
Or indeed the Desert/Jungle Strike series from their 16bit era!
Re: PS Plus Subscriptions on Sale, Up to 35% Off
Having had a peek at the PS App,& will politely skip the "generous" $3 odd to upgrade to Extra or $4+ for Deluxe for the next two weeks,I note thereafter both are still very much full price, nevermind that Essential is $96 my region.😔
There's a few games I'm annoyed I'll be locked out of eg:Beyond Two Souls despite having bought it again via the Heavy Rain compilation, Days Gone,& the Oddworld Abe's Oddysee remake among others not having a second version you can choose to buy on PSN, so they're tied to PS Plus only.
Although I may well get Essential again at some point,that ever since Jim Ryan era management introduced the tiered levels & nixxed buying PS Plus subscriptions in Bricks & Mortar retail,they have killed any of the traditional discount periods for Essential subs with it! 😕
Clearly not affecting their bottom line that much,but given I rarely played online & used Plus more for the occasional extra discounts on PSN sales,(& i suppose technically cloud save storage),just don't find any incentive to renew given they clearly don't care to do discounts for Essential users these days.😑
Re: Stop Guessing GTA 6 Trailer 2 Release Date, Demands Red Dead Redemption 2 Voice Actor
I still have my doubts about how long a campaign/story mode GTA VI will have this time,or if Rockstar/ Take-two try to force needing an always online Rockstar account? 🤔
Re: Days Gone Dev Says It Still Plans to Create 'Cool Sh*t' for PS5 After Live Service Cancellation
Maybe they can slip in another job advert for a SIE Worldwide Studios head & co-Ceo position. One that has experience in overseeing successful single & multiplayer AAA gaming. & dev studio management....qualifications the current incumbent seems to be a bit out of his depth on! 🙄
The sad part is though two such talented studios having been wasted for effectively an entire console generation with nothing to show for it!
Re: Reaction: Sony's Live Service Push Has Been a Disaster of Utterly Insane Proportions
One of SIE Worldwide Studios strengths back amongst the PS4 era with the the likes of Layden,Shuhei Yoshida etc.,was their talking about the creative freedoms they apparently had. Not to say there weren't setbacks (God of War needed reworking after one infamous Yoshida visit).
Unfortunately as Jim Ryan & Hermen Hulst became aware of the Activision whispers their approach was much like Netflix's reaction to everyone starting up their own streaming service & greenlight anything with the proviso it had live service or be standalone online.
Add to that wooing Bungie & taking their upper management (& spin offs like those involved with Concord),& Hulst seemingly surrounding himself with other Guerilla or Bungie experts & the departures of dev studio veterans & a lack of anyone to push back & when Sony accountants started questioning what the outlays had brought back in you get the results.
Whilst Hulst in his rare Jim Ryan like interviews had already seemed to have little appreciation of Playstation's gaming IP vault,it feels like he's had more misses than hits in terms of shutting projects & studios down & yet has been promoted rather than shown the door.😑
Re: Sony Cancels Bluepoint, Bend Studio PS5 Games, One Being a Live-Service God of War Title
Given how he spurned a Days Gone sequel, largely wasted Bluepoint's talent like many other SIE studios all chasing live service Gold, cancelled or closed other studios whilst insisting on Concord's release one has to wonder how Hermen Hulst not only remained as Worldwide Studios head but effectively get promoted into co-CEO Chair!
When we've seen the likes of not only Layden, & now Shuhei Yoshida retire from Playstation but even go back to the likes of creatives like Bruce Straley,(that oversaw the original TLOU & Uncharted 4 among others),Amy Hennig & others moved along it rather boggles the mind how Hulst has maintained his role.🤔
Re: Broken Sword 2 Remaster Teased By Team Who Reforged the First Game
Not sure if it was the feeling the ending felt a bit rushed but liked the first game a tad more. That said,some spooky moments & death around the corner in this! And loads better than when publishers turned on point & clicks & forced 3d elements like moving crates to gain a wider audience. (Before the likes of Uncharted came along at least).
Just be careful opening chests in attics of dotty old ladies!👻
Re: Unfazed by Concord, Sony Doubles Down on Exploring Service Games
Sony wants it's first party COD,Fortnite, GTA Online live service cash cow so it's not reliant on a third party that could be snapped up by someone & yanked from the PSN later. In itself, that isn't a bad concept.
But execution of the idea to reality is another matter. Forcing previously successful single player focused studios devs into making such games with the same sized teams or throwing vast sums at untested teams & having independent playtesters/middle management that shouldn't have to fear for their jobs if they found the likes of Concord not that fun to play despite Mr Hulst's personal hype to the contrary is very much in his control.
There'd been the rumours of previous backroom SIE producers of long standing departing after Hulst's promotions to head of SIE & now co-CEO,& his seemingly adding ex Guerilla colleagues in their place at SIE instead. Whilst it's no new concept in any corporate, maybe Mr Hulst should take note that appointing a bunch of nodding heads isn't always conducive to good decisions if he was too close to the Concord execs to see a dud in the making.
Santa Monica studio infamously referred to a visit by then SIE head Shuhei Yoshida's less than happy reaction to a God of War vertical slice of gameplay & said the final ps4 release that blew most away was the result of that criticism.
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for January 2025 Announced
The last racing games I'd enjoyed had been the likes of the long absent Motorstorm series,or LBP Karting,or before that the NFS Underground PS2 games.
Suicide Squad just doesn't interest me,tacked on offlibe mode or not. The best of DC were the Batman games.
Just leaves Stanley Parable & a soon to expire PS Plus essential...but the lack of any discounts like during the recent Black Friday or Boxing day sales like one used to get buying PS Plus codes in Bricks & mortar retailers has killed the incentive to renew ahead of expiry.
Yep,I know they did offer the incentive for those upgrading tiers but sad state of affairs you have to wait for your current sub to lapse to hope you'll get a discount to resub later. Leaves stuff like Days Gone or Concrete Genie locked with no buyable alternative on PSN even if it goes on sale!
Re: PS3 Games Could One Day Get Emulated on PS5
Would I love to see a PS3 emulation & the likes of Sony's catalogue of locked titles like LBP 1 & 2, Infamous,Motorstorm series, Resistance, Sly 4, or the mainstream Ratchet & Clank games or even ones like Rain etc.,appear? Yes.
The main but I have thus far,& not necessarily Implicit Conversions fault,but how hard has whomever the nameless Sony management overseeing the backwards compatibility/ PS Deluxe Classics programme been chasing third party content to bolster up the PS1 & PS2 range?🤔
We had to wait a long time to finally see Dino Crisis,(let alone be able to purchase it),& RE 2 & 3 Classic have still to see light of day despite making it to GOG store. Not holding my breath on seeing the likes of PS1 Colony Wars or Adventures of Lomax?
Or chasing Ubisoft for the PS2 era Splinter Cell games,or E.A. for the PS2 SSX series, or NFS Underground games? Or Rockstar for GTA LCS/VCS? Unfortunately can see music licensing being used too easily to shrug their shoulders for some of the latter.😑
But there's definitely more opportunities to attract & bolster the functional if not spectacular emulation they already have for PS1 & 2 titles....would be such a waste of developing another classics programme like they did on PS4 only to drop it & find most of games didn't work on PS5 until having to come up with a whole new engine from scratch.
Re: Naughty Dog Turns Off Intergalactic PS5 Trailer's Comments As Discourse Turns Nasty
As to whether or not the protagonist in Intergalactic proves likeable or comes off like the Beyond Good & Evil 2 swearing gorillas time will tell. (Still disappointed me when I just wanted to continue Jade's story there).
Thus far,it's hard to judge much on a cinematic. Will any spaceship parts be playable or more likely the ground based wannabe light sabre bits?🤔 Will it take an RPG lite approach like Horizon on upgrades & skill trees? Lots to learn yet before making judgements on the gameplay yet.
As for sensible discourse on such things, one only has to see the current flood of fuzzy camera "drone" footage & hysteria that an Independence Day Alien invasion is upon us to guess how likely that sort of debate will turn out! 2024....I still wonder if Biff stole Doc Brown's Delorean & squashed a butterfly with the sports almanac at some point!😬
Re: Ex-Telltale Talent Announces Dispatch, a Superhero Comedy Adventure Game
Seen the dispatch style mechanic used before in the likes of This Is The Police,but certainly looks a bit flashier than it was & bit of Incredibles style humour mixed in. Got my interest,hopefully comes on PS5 too. PC wishlist meantime to keep a watch!
Re: Ubisoft's Handling of Canned PlayStation Exclusive WiLD 'a Real Scandal', Says Director
Still saddens me how Beyond Good & Evil 2 pivoted from a probable single player sequel to continue the story of finding P'eyj to that MMORPG "thing" with swearing gorillas & live services masquerading as a sequel!
Ubisoft's problems are numerous,but abandoning single player franchises like Rayman, Splinter Cell etc.,& having cookie cutter Assassin Creed, & Far Cry sequels sure didn't help!
Re: Shuhei Yoshida's Resignation Prompts Massive Outpouring of Love for PlayStation Legend
Did see among the mass outpourings of tweets from indies & outside third parties,to the current & former Playstation staff one from Greg Rice (formerly business manager of Double Fine before),who joined the Indies team headed up by Shu Yoshida. In tweeting his well wishes to him Shu responded "it's all in your hands now Greg", which might be a sign he'll be taking over.🤔
That said,he'd been overseeing a separate Indie initiative called Day of the Devs but that seems separate from Greg Rice's Playstation duties,so who knows!
But agree,much like a Shawn Layden,that they could nominate old obscure titles just as easily as they could a big AAA title across each gen showed their passion was about games being fun as much as their roles were to make blockbusters. That random people could hit Shu up on twitter & ask what he's playing or recommended in sales & it wasn't corporate speak "engagement"....
One only has to look at the PS Blog,or PS Social channels or where the likes of Herman Hulst etc., avoid any interaction unless it's some high end publication ala WIRED etc. (And has gone into hiding just about since Concord).
Shuhei is going to be a very hard act to follow.
Re: PlayStation Exec Shuhei Yoshida Will Leave the Company in January
@Rob_230 Yep, this 100%. Been fearing this day would come,but agree like departures of Sean Layden or Adam Boyes,they were execs who not only enjoyed their games,but could nominate smaller more obscure titles just as easily as big AAA ones.
Even more so as you say,he was easily the most senior exec still there that would chat directly with gamers.
Compare that to Hermen Hulst as SIE head who'd only speak to sites like WIRED ,(much as Jim Ryan),& only interactions would be an Avatar change.
As someone touched on Greg Rice has been part of Yoshida's team to turn around their indie coverage. But did note he seems less involved heading up a Day of the Devs initiative first started at his previous job at Double Fine.
Like you say,the lack of other prominent execs that interact in the same way as those past did be it twitter or even on their own PS Blog doesn't help that feeling of disconnect. 😕
A definite loss,but certainly been a great & positive force behind the scenes as he was at the coalface. One can only hope his replacement will be as good.
Re: Capcom's PS Plus Premium Games Available Now without Subscription
Whilst the silence on what was an own goal in the first instance was disappointing,at least it's finally been fixed. Given GOG has been touting having "classic" RE 1-3 available on PC to buy,it'd made Capcom's refusal to do the same on PSN even more puzzling!🤔
Now let's hope it can extend to more Capcom titles (& more third party titles generally), eg: Maximo Quest for Glory/Army of Zin, RE 2 & 3, Dino Crisis 2,Ultimate Ghosts'n'Goblins, Breath of Fire Fire 3 to suggest a few?
Re: Sony's Latest First-Party Release Is Struggling to Do Concord Numbers on PC
Something overlooked in these Lego Horizon articles has been the absence of TT Games who were involved during the Lego licensed Golden run be it Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter 1 & 2, Lego Marvel Superheroes etc. Things sadly went astray there with more so-so licenses or incomplete ones ala Lego Hobbit etc.
Likewise the departure,retirement of several veterans there as WB extended their control of the studio. At their creative zenith (as much as you could say Lego cookie cutter game design), you could imagine the sort of humour they could apply & possible game worlds to retell things the "Lego way",(the banana arrows in LOTR still make me smile!).
Insofar as the lack of success of recent full priced remakes like the buggy Until Dawn (with little new content & no upgrade path for existing owners), TLOU, or the unpopular Concord in the last year or so,that firmly comes on now Co-CEO & SIE Worldwide Studios Hermen Hulst.
On one hand you have Sony 2IC Totoki say they're in need of more IP's,& yet there's been multiple older IP's like LBP, Infamous,Sly Raccoon, Jak and Daxter ,Twisted Metal, even Colony Wars, etc all sitting in the IP Toy chest in the attic.
Mr Hulst appears to be focused on either finding the next COD live service first party hits or more keen towards Guerilla or other creative heads he's closest to vs niche titles of the past ala Last Guardian,SOTC, Concrete Genie etc.
He might have his favourite studios or pet projects in the works,but they're not necessarily resonating with wider audiences. Playstation gamers tended to trust the likes of Sean Layden or Shuhei Yoshida who knew their PS History in a way that Hermen has struggled to connect with since.
Re: Huge PlayStation Black Friday Sales Begin 22nd November
Used to always take advantage of either mid-year or this time of year to grab a PS Plus sub from a brick & mortar store.
Ever since they introduced the Essential, Extra, & Deluxe not only has the ability to buy a subscription anywhere but PSN vanished, the discounts have mostly gone with it. 😕😑
Re: GTA Trilogy Dev Implies Rockstar Made a 'D*ck Move' Removing Its Name from PS5, PS4 Remasters
Whilst there's little doubt a cheapskate Take-two allocated little resources as observed by the missing songs compared to the PS2 versions,& feigning ignorance at the dodgy trailers that omitted any gameplay....its also no small irony the same Grove Street Games that released the equally trashfire PS3 San Andreas,& retasking their buggy mobile efforts into A.I. & dumped out the "remastered trilogy" shouldn't be complaining.🙄
They seemingly were happy to block or spam complaints over obvious bugs & performance to Rockstar Support whilst patting themselves on the back. Modders on the PC scene with NO official budgets & off their own backs had released various GTA Mods that put the laughable A.I. efforts to shame!
Instead of shutting modders down,its a shame Take-two don't fund a Rockstar Classics studio & let them work their magic brining the older games to modern platforms!
Re: GTA Trilogy Massively Upgraded on PS5, But No PS4 Patch Yet
@get2sammyb Whilst Take-two being cheapskates on renewing music licensing on several of the original soundtracks (ironic for a so called "definitive edition"),sadly will never be fixed,I will be curious to hear if the "falling through the textures" bugs like the ramp to the cargo ship in Vice City or the area near its Airport that did the rounds have been addressed? 🤔
Re: Sony Adopting 'Show Don't Tell' Strategy with PS5
@get2sammyb Unfortunately the "reclusive Sony" approach has been much in play since Jim Ryan took over & is still in play with the new management.
Much as you touched on years ago,since the departure of the likes of then Sony Third Party Relations Adam Boyes or the much missed Sean Layden as US SIE head,a public "face" of Playstation has been missing.
Whilst there's no doubting roles like CEO involve a lot more than simply interacting with Gamers on social media,away from the likes of Shuhei Yoshida being the face of Playstation Indies or Mark Cerny as the face of new console announcements you'd be hard pressed to remember anything Herman Hulst engaged with gamers on when SIE Head apart from changing avatars...& the social/P.R. people have had a mixed bag on delivering showcases or the PS Blog.
Likewise,instead of talking to gaming sites first & foremost they seemingly talk to Wired,Variety etc. Not exactly the sites Playstation gamers are likely to read their gaming news.
It'll be a sad day the likes of Yoshida or Cerny retire,because there doesn't feel like anyone else in coming through that'd take up the baton.
Re: Labour Union Blasts Sony for Looking to Further Monopoly with Studio Closures
Why do I get the nagging feeling that the CWA probably had some previous "settlement" over buyout concerns (much like Activision also making the numerous lawsuits involving Kotick etc disappear),& this word salad came after a quick anonymous call reminded their execs the deal didn't have an expiry date?!🙄
After all,remember when several members of American Congress (from both sides) suddenly started the inquisition of the FTC "bullying" poor little Microsoft & why they weren't supporting a "Murican" mega corporation buying another USA megacorp?
I'm not suggesting Sony was saintly with Jim Ryan & Hermen Hulst having gone on a live service expansion spree hoping to find the elusive first party COD pot of gold.....until seemingly reigned in by a nervous upper Sony Group executive like 2IC Totoki in his reign as acting CEO.
After the previous layoffs & cancellations across Worldwide Studios, one can only speculate that Hulst protected Concorde on the basis he expected it to sell big & been left cleaning up his mess & possibly a bit less clout now than he might’ve had prior to his promotion.
Re: PlayStation's Dual CEO Setup Has 'Opportunities and Risks'
If memory serves part of the reasoning for splitting the CEO roles was supposedly feedback from Jim Ryan in part.
The other part not mentioned here is also 2IC of Sony group Totoki,whom seemingly is keeping a tighter financial leash on the Playstation division especially in light of the multi billion outlay for the likes of Bungie & probably has questioned the value on return thus far...🤔
Re: Cash Rewards Still Unavailable for Millions in PS5, PS4 Rewards Scheme PS Stars
@get2sammyb @Gravity_Bear Living across the pond from Gravity Bear Down Under. Currently the PS App now only shows a $15AU redeemable option for 3,750 points. Can't recall the lower amount before if it was $7.50 or $10 or similar... but do know I had been close to the $30AU for 7,500pts which has vanished.
I'm pretty sure the older "smaller" walket option was less value vs saving for the $30AU option. So in theory can get 2×$15AU credits & haven't "lost" anything....But that was after having to accept the new Terms of Service & 12months expiration.
PS Lifestyle & PS Profiles mention various responses of PS Support,one saying it was a "glitch",& will return soon,& another saying the total removal of wallet options was intentional.
As usual,not only is the budget outsourced "support" centre Sony uses is clear as swamp or Loch NESS,but Sony P.R. is completely silent communicating what the PS Rewards changes are beyond the new 12 month points expiration. 🙄
Communicating wasn't exactly a strong point under Jim Ryan,but somehow the new management make the old regime look like a gossiping bunch of parrots in comparison!
Re: Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition to Be Updated with Three More Games in 2025
@Fishnpeas @Mostik @sanderson72 Been seeing some posts on twitter from OG creator Andy Davidson...seemingly asking Amiga modders & sceners to contribute new levels for a "Worms 1.5" project of sorts. Not tied into official release AFAIK,but Team 17 have given their blessing. So might be worth firing up WinUAE or similar & keep an eye out!
Agree its a shame there's no Amiga version being offered but given the mess of Amiga tech ownership & those still trying to milk $$ over anything related to it,guessing it leads to most publishers doing retro releases a wide berth 😕
Despite the rarity of seeing the Amiga Turrican games again in the Collections for them, I see ININ have gone with a modern remake of X-Out. Oh well,Chris Huelsbeck is providing new tracks for that!🤓😎
Re: Until Dawn (PS5) - Killer Teen Slasher Snags a Pricey New-Gen Remake
@get2sammyb Just how much of the musical interludes have changed? Though a while since I last played it through,do recall the background music to be suitably creepy & atmospheric! Seems bizarre choice dropping it!🙄😕
Agree the lack of upgrade options & lack of new content to justify the price...even if they'd done something like reworking The Inpatient "prequel" from its PSVR origins might’ve at least offered something extra.
Re: Rumour: Concord Cost $400 Million, Sony Believed It Was the 'Future of PlayStation'
Whilst Jim Ryan ultimately signed the cheques on the likes of this & purchases like Bungie,(the latter no doubt in regards to Microsoft buying ABK, Zenimax etc),really does bring a focus on "prmoted upwards",Hermen Hulst's tenure as SIE Studios head & no co-CEO.
In the rare interviews given,he'd be gushing about their going big or go home approach to AAA Live service games,or buying Firewalk,PC or Mobile devs,but away from his TV/Movie spin off projects,(admitted,successful for those who liked those sort of things),TLOU/Uncharted babies & HZD remasters etc.,we never really hear him talk about PS Gaming history in the way a Shu Yoshida,or Shawn Layden etc.,could.
Implicit Conversions clearly has a fraction of the resources (& isn't even first party),porting mostly PSP,& occasional PS1/PS2 titles & nowhere near the amount of third party content there should be.
Opportunities to test some of the PS3 titles like Motorstorm series,Resistance,Little Big Planet etc with mtx add ons,much less ports of Sly Raccoon, classic Ratchet,Ico,Twisted Metal to test doing full borne remakes have gone missing. Nevermind the games cancelled in the past year or two & studios closed whilst noone made the hard call here.
God of War infamously had to pivot it's development after a Shu Yoshida visit & they acknowledge it made the game better. Away from his Guerilla Games bubble can Hulst do the same ?
Re: Annapurna Interactive Exodus Sees Entire Staff Resign
In the shorter ti medium term might not make too much difference to gamers for games already published & out there.
BUT will be a right royal pain to indie devs either working on unreleased titles,or existing ones recently released regarding console ports, patch updates etc.,if managed by the publisher.
New staff,& wherein they need to learn the various PSN,Eshop,,XB Store backends,ditto the third party who might’ve had good relationships with the old staff are suddenly dealing with new crew for PSN,Gamepass deals etc.
The old crew likely have a backer,& be up & running sooner than later,but the indie devs tied to existing deals will be left feeling like the meat in the sandwich meantime!
Re: In Case You Missed It, PS5 Pro Has a 2TB SSD Included
@get2sammyb The decision to add a 2tb SSD more expensive,(cheaper than when the ps5 expansion slot was enabled though),but wise given the file sizes needed...whether if the higher resolution textures are included in the same standard ps5 game update files time will tell i guess!🤔
Unfortunately,one only has to look at the Nvidia/AMD GPU Duopoly (& typically AMD being a gen behind on raytracing tech),as far as what constitutes mid range "value" 192bit gpu's now being around $900-$1200+ (My region),depending on if you're team green or team red to realise even the "cheap" 128bit cards being $600-700 that next gen PS6 & Xbox won't be cheaper & probably more than PS5 launch prices were.😕
Re: Sony Execs Seem to Think the Company Doesn't Have Enough Original IP
Might help if they didn't have a CEO who had only worked at one of their in-house Studios (not including the ones they closed!),prior to being promoted to his World Wide studios role wherein he focused on remasters for TV tie-ins!🙄😂
Just brainstorming off the top of my head, but Legend of Dragoon, Lomax, Colony Wars, Wipeout, Alundra (at least as UK publisher), Motor Toon Grand Prix, Lemmings. Then Jak, Ratchet, Sly Raccoon,Getaway(?),Infamous, Motorstorm, Last Guardian,SOTC/ICO, Twisted Metal (forgetting the last one like an Indiana Jones sequel!),Litlle Big Planet, LBP Karting (effectively morphing Mod Nation racers into it),Resistance.
Daresay I've left some others ala Rain etc.,from Studio Japan but I am glad for Astrobot. But yep, maybe hire some execs & managers that know your catalogue! Or maybe its more code for 'Stuff that can be turned into our own GTA/COD cashcow"?🙄😂
Re: Outer Wilds PS5 Physical Edition Ships with Wrong Version on Disc
Back in my former lifetime of being (ultimately), a games store manager we initially had ps4 copies ship of Saints Row 4(?), ship on release which shipped with the "full" EU version with certain banned Aussie content thanks to our quaint classification rules which even updated saw previously MA15+ games mostly get tagged as R18+!
Don't think I sold any of the offending copies before we got ordered to pull them off the shelves & ship them back,but I imagine a small number slipped out there.
Before my time on release,but also later we couldn't trade in the Hot Coffee ps2 GTA San Andreas even though you needed an Action Replay (not sold by the store),to even access it after that version was recalled.
Re: Suikoden 1 & 2 HD Remaster Assembles an Army in March 2025 on PS5, PS4
Whilst I know Playstation marketing seems to prefer pushing the mega blockbusters &/or new indies, the Suikoden games were very much part of PS1 folklore as per the later Final Fantasy games were! Missed opportunity...again!
Oh well,at least no timed exclusives. Let's hope the delay has meant Konami has allowed the devs to do the job properly rather than rush it out on the back of Eiyuden Chronicle's launch. 🙏🤞
Re: Crash Bandicoot 5 Reportedly Cut in Favour of More Live Service Games
Activision decided to pull out of single player titles in favour of live service games"....
More like due to Bobby Kotick "investing" in an army of lawyers & NDA "settlements",trying to get the Microsoft buyout across the line & give himself a golden parachute!🙄
Re: Sony to Short-Change PS Stars Members with PS Plus Renewals Starting Next Year
In my region still 900 odd points short of reaching the elusive $30 7500pts,so sadly guessing I'll unlikely hit it before the changes start influencing things...
Albeit even if they'd announced it on the PS Blog, I get stuck in an endless loop logging in on the Web or the App -but then doesn't allow me leave any posts/feedback anymore!😕🤐
Goes to show not much has changed in the post Jim Ryan era to the previous one with this & pricing on remakes like Until Dawn.
Re: Reaction: It's Time for Xbox to Tell Us Which Games It's Bringing to PS5, and Which Games It Isn't
Whilst the Xbox division pivoted from hardware console numbers over a generation ago,to "user engagement",Microsoft has seemingly gotten shy with sharing exacting Gamepass engagement to shareholders these days by trying to merge PC Windows & Xbox all under the same umbrella.
Whilst Satya might be aiming to assure shareholders the billions lent to Xbox is going well, you can bet internally they're looking closely at how the new multi-tiered Gamepass numbers are faring to dictate potential future multiplatform releases even if as potential "stealth drops" later
Re: Preview: Broken Sword Is Back in the Most Passionate Remaster Possible
@LiamCroft @Sequel That's awesome news! 👍Always regarded Barrington 's contribution as understated much like his works in Inspector Morse/Lewis tv series,it perfectly set the mood for each & every scene.
Rented the first two games on ps1,as rarely saw them in the shops,but eventually picked them up on PC CD Rom,as I did Beneath a Steel Sky having only played the Amiga demo of the latter
It was only when upgrading to a Celeron 900mhz build from my original Celeron 266,did I learn of a hires mode for the graphics when I'd been perfectly content with the lores ones all those years,was quite an eye opener!😅
Played the DS Directors Cut which was alright but not quite as good as the original & picked up the GOG versions years later. Liam you definitely owe yourself playing the original one here! Guessing you won't need to ring a toll number Playstation hints like as I needed to multiple times to learn just exactly how you needed to pass the goat! Not so easy on the non analogue ps1 OG controller!!😂😱
Re: Xbox Renegotiated Indiana Jones Deal to Exclude PS5, Then Ported It Anyway
I almost get the feeling Phil has gone from showing up early to Satya's board meetings (when he could use the corporate credit card ad infinitum to buy up whatever he wanted), to dreading the phone calls from HQ & needing to flash his corporate I.D badge ,& insist to Satya's secretary he definitely has an invite these days!😋
Re: Stone-Cold Classic Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars' PS5 Remaster Releases in September
@Kidfunkadelic83 "Get out McGuire! Come back when you're old enough!"😂 Good old Mr O'Leary always with an eye to his future patronage!😁
Just not so much on discerning would be electrician's who possibly flood his basement!😱😂
Re: Stone-Cold Classic Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars' PS5 Remaster Releases in September
I well remember ringing the Playstation tips line toll number on Broken Sword & trying to get past that dastardly goat! 😅
Rented both hames on PS1 before buying them on PC CD ROM & eventually seeing them in high resolution mode! First game in particular with locations like Lochmarne Pub still my favourite!
Guessing they may include the Director's Cut extras which felt a bit sandwiched in compared to the originals classic opening...Paris in the Fall.
Re: Capcom Wants All of Its Legacy Fighting Games to Be Re-Released on PS5, PS4
They want all their legacy fighting games on PS4/PS5? Oh good,I look forward to them putting Alien vs Predator out on anything else but an overpriced arcade fighting stick!😋
Re: Bungie Accused of Overselling Itself to Sony, Promising Success It Couldn't Deliver
It's easy to pin this solely on Jim Ryan,(& not to suggest as SIE head he doesn't bear responsibility). But a critical part of that "entourage" is now co-SIE head Hermen Hulst either.
With stories like the recent ones about Sony looking for possible content or studio opportunities in China/India etc.,suggests Hiroshi Totoki (as previous interim SIE Head & still Sony Group 2IC) is keeping a close watch on the spreadsheets now. One only has to look at the brutal axe weilding of SIE studios & projects.
They might well still splash $$ on third party timed deals,but I doubt we'll see many multi billion studio buyouts vs smaller studios chasing that live service Gold.
Its unfortunate that to seemingly claw back those overspends its not only come at a cost regarding Bungie staff,but other Sony studios (eg those in the UK),copped the repercussions.
As always,the higher ups get quiet payouts & move on,or like Hulst promoted!
Re: Outstanding Academic Open World Bully Being Added to PS5, PS4 Sub GTA+
@danzoEX Yep. Always found it rather strange how PS3,nevermind PS4 never saw Academy Edition,Table Tennis or GTA IV Complete edition ports...but then again look how long it took for Red Dead Redemption/Undead Nightmare to get just a PS4 gen port!🙄
Much like tightwad Take-two will never do a proper GTA "Definitive edition" with full soundtracks etc., because they don't want to fork out on certain music licensing that increased from the PS2 era! Or GTA LCS/VCS etc.😕