@Bez87 I'm specifically talking about announcing a new game. Wasn't the last one Intergalactic, from a year ago? This year started with Wolverine, Saros, and Intergalactic to look forward to. And it looks like it'll end the same.
Sounds fine (..?). The accents are a little jarring, and that guy at the end is hamming a bit. But the majority of the deliveries are solid — emotive, but not overdone.
Shrugs I guess just play with subs, if this is a problem.
@Lukasamba This is a very good point people never seem to consider. This is why NPCs tend to look worse than the main cast; it's not that it's technologically impossible to make them look phenomenal, it's just a big waste of resources that the team decided to use elsewhere.
I go into these with zero expectations. It'll be cool if that 2D God of War is real. Mostly because that would give Sony an excuse to put 1, 2, and the PSP games on PS+.
Anything to actually get excited about Intergalactic would be nice, too. And maybe...just a nice slate of new, 1st-party games. Stuff to get me real excited for PS5's 2026.
@get2sammyb But do we always need both? Graphical fidelity is nice, but gameplay/interactivity is why I play games. If I thought visuals alone were a quintessential part of the experience, there are better mediums for that.
Even besides that, art direction is leagues more important to me than fidelity. Bionis' Shoulder from the Wii version of Xenoblade is still more awe-inspiring than most of the stuff I've seen this generation. There's still plenty of stuff from the SNES — hell, even NES — that visually holds up quite well. Even something you can argue looks objectively s***, like the original Star Fox, still has charms that a photo realistic face just doesn't.
@Oram77 I think the dub vs. sub debate is pretty pointless. Lots of dubs are great — sometimes even transcendent. And original Japanese voice work isn't guaranteed to be great. The quality of either just depends.
I recently watched Mob Psycho 100; fantastic dub. Been watching Dan Da Dan; fantastic dub. I can't watch FLCL in Japanese because the English voice work I grew up with is too phenomenal to replace. I've watched DBZ in English and DBSuper in Japanese, and thought they were mostly interchangeable.
I think we've been well past the days of s*** dubbing for decades now. Video games are maybe a little behind anime proper, but not by much.
@Nepp67 The thing is, not every game needs advanced AI. Metal Gear might be a gold standard for AI, but it's only so good because it's a stealth-focused game that's supposed to make you feel underpowered where most of the gameplay variety stems from emergent cat-and-mouse dynamics.
Goombas don't need to react differently if they just saw a fellow Goomba perish under the heft of Mario's girth. And if they did, I dare say it wouldn't really improve the experience in any meaningful way. Even when dealing with a more advanced combat system, what are we proposing here? Fighting an enemy that reads if you're more prone to attack or defend, and intelligently focuses on your weakest element? That might sound cool to you, but you also need to realize that designing AI is a delicate balance between engaging and frustrating. Designers can make enemies smarter, with more varied combat options and greater line of sight. But that's liable to quickly turn a good game into nothing but an exercise in frustration.
@UltimateOtaku91 That's kinda how I've always seen it, too, in regards to Nintendo. There's probably an argument to be made that Breath of the Wild was Nintendo's first AAA game, and that maybe only it and Tears are AAA.
And I'd say I mostly agree with that Google definition. I just don't like the "published by large, well-known companies" part. It's ostensibly kinda a given due to circumstances, but the size of the company itself shouldn't directly contribute to the As of a game.
Anyhoo, to better explain what point I was even getting at in the first place — properly identifying the amount of As to allot a game isn't actually something I care about. I just wish people wouldn't make sweeping comments about the industry that hinge on a supposedly self-evident definition of what an A means. At best, these are vibes. It's very difficult to come to any real conclusion about anything with something so nebulous anchoring a discussion.
@Lowdefal "The internet itself can't seem to make up its mind."
Now that I wholeheartedly agree with. That's really more the point I wanted to make — what I don't get about the discourse. People argue so passionately about the pros and cons of AA vs. AAA, and how stupid AAAA is, but literally none of these have actual definitions. Like how indie doesn't actually refer to independently developed anymore, these are all just vibes.
I wrote a pretty long comment on here when half the site was convinced AA games can't make money, and Sony ergo shouldn't make them, that basically just said: 'no one knows what the f*** AA actually is in the first place.'
@Lowdefal That's why it was a hypothetical. If a company spends 100 million on development, they're more likely to spend another 100 million on marketing because of sunk costs. I'm not arguing that. And I understand the point of marketing.
But I've never seen ANYONE define AA/AAA/AAAA as predominantly about marketing costs. When people argue AA games don't sell well, I don't think they mean it didn't have a big enough marketing budget. When people argue AAA costs to much, I don't think they're suggesting toning down marketing efforts. Most people would call Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World AAA, but they both had relatively brief marketing campaigns that mostly consisted of a few trailers and ads.
Like, even if I'm wrong and this is a commonly used definition, I still don't think it makes much sense. And kinda just adds to the nebulous nature of the designators I was getting at with my original comment.
EDIT: I also don't understand what you're saying with your addendum. So GTA with $0 marketing costs would still be AAA? So it's not about marketing costs, and is instead about overall costs? Which was the definition I was using. And in your following example, the $100 minion used for marketing DOESN'T make it AAA? Am I missing something? It sounds like you're contradicting your other comment.
@Lowdefal I've literally never heard anyone define it like that. Like you said, of course marketing plays a big role in overall budget. But I don't think development costs and marketing costs are often separated when designating As. So you're saying that if a hypothetical game had GTA's development costs but literally nothing for marketing, it wouldn't be AAA?
This is what I never get about the AA/AAA discourse: if this is 60 million, but other games are 100s of millions, why would they all be considered AAA? I know everyone had a jiffy at the mention of AAAA, but does leaving AAA all encompassing of — I guess — any budget >10 million really make any more sense?
@LuDaurre PlayStation seems to be course correcting away from GaaS. Nintendo isn't nearly as anti-consumer as the Internet wants you to believe. Aside from a few examples, most of Microsoft's content has had physical options — I'm sure their next console will have a disc drive too, since the Series S and PS5 Digital have sold significantly less than their counterparts. And I'm not really sure how Steam is better than any of them, regardless of physical vs. digital.
While I think a lack of exclusivity devalues consoles themselves, it definitely doesn't hamper the industry as a whole. In fact, it's probably better for it.
Dunno what you mean by "agenda." Nor do I see its correlation with innovation or lack thereof. This seems like a 'nothing' point, so I'm going to ignore it.
Arguably, we've been at the end of the 'Golden Era' of gaming since the Wii U launched. But the whole 'era' thing is mostly irrelevant to quality, and is really just a way for historians to designate timeframes differentiated by some cultural shift. Looking at comic books, for example, every era has had good and bad. A new era isn't really a bad thing, it's just a new time for different stuff.
I think gaming is stronger than it's ever been, personally. I might not like everything going on in the industry, but the sheer amount of games, voices, quality, new IP, thriving IP, gamers,etc.,etc. is beyond a scope I ever could've imagined as a kid. There's something for everyone. Which is not something you can confidently say about every generation in gaming.
The Internet is always mad about something. I mean, hackers can be problematic — sure. But there's already so many different ways to play games, I see the mouse complaint as moot (cross play Overwatch you got PC's mouse, dual-analog's aim assist, Switch/Dualsense gyro, yet I've never felt it was overly unfair). Also, does it not super mouse controls on consoles?
And even with the hackers, while I get the concern, I always felt that was a part of the flavor of online play. It's kinda the fun. But I also don't give a s*** about my stats, and play online, like, once a month. So maybe I'm not the best judge of severity there.
@AhmadSumadi Don't think that Wii-Wii U comparison is the best example of your point. One's novelty is motion controls. The other is a touch screen — specifically a dual screen. Really, the Wii U has more common ground with the Switch than the Wii
Unless you're saying that the novelty of the Wii brand wore off. Which I think is a fair argument to make, and why Nintendo didn't name the Switch the Wii Go.
@1UP-HUSKY From 5 minutes of sleuthing, it seems like the tracking firm of Spain is actually quite mum about sales. There are occasional public announcements, but generally their data is exclusively for publishers.
Which still isn't me saying that this is absolutely wrong. But the only way they could have that information is if they have an insider. They do have some hard software sales numbers, so that adds to their credibility (if, ya know, they're real). But still kinda hard to gauge it if they don't regularly report sales data. And I'm not going to learn Spanish and listen to hours of podcasts to find out.
@Oram77 Marvel's Spider-Man's DLC rollout started a month after the game's initial release. No one cared then, and we did hear the end of it, because this is not an odd or uncommon practice.
@1UP-HUSKY I don't care who's selling the most on Spain or anywhere else. Just seems like a weird source. Like, does the podcast have a history of reporting sales data?
I'm sorry I'm questioning this information that serves your perspective of king PlayStation instead of immediately accepting it as true.
@Flaming_Kaiser Jesus, this is all misinformation. The DLC is not locked on the disc, how would anyone even know that before it comes out? It's also not even out until February — not day 1. People are just mad that it was announced before the base game released, and it's already available for pre-order. Which is not uncommon in games; I already have the season pass for Pac-Man World 2 pre-ordered.
The 'paywalled Pokemon' are mega evolutions that you need to participate in online events to get. Which I'm not going to go out of my way to defend the practice itself. But I'm also pretty sure other games have locked content behind online events, and I'm certain Pokemon has been doing this for a while now.
@MARl0 Why would they do that, though? It's not like developers get anything out of making a Pro version. If Sony cracks down on poorly optimized Pro games, developers will just stop making Pro editions. And then it's just a notably more expensive PS5.
@AgentMantis Honestly don't see how it's any different than before. Plays the same, has the same levels...shrugs
I always thought it was a s****y platformer propped up by its player count. It's non-obstacle challenges are a bit more interesting, but nothing Mario Party or Kung Fu Chaos didn't do better 20 years ago — sans the aforementioned player count
@ShadowRJ That's what I'm saying. Like, I understand the criticism, but I also wonder what exactly these people think would actually improve the experience.
Would narrative context fix it for them? A completion tracker? Some sort of progressive structure or unlockables? I'd kinda argue that if you need such incentive to drive around the game's wonderfully expressive world, you wouldn't enjoy exploring it anyway.
@Judal27 Personally, I play World like I used to play GTA: just cruise around and get into some random hijinks.
I kinda hate to at it's a player error, since it should've been designed to compel as maybe as possible, but I personally like it quite a lot. And if I start getting bored of cruising, I just jump into some actual races. It all works for me. I just think 8 Deluxe has better tracks (track-tracks, not referring to the intermissions. Although I actual like those intermissions a lot, and think they go a long way to differentiate World from 8), and Crossworlds has...actually, I didn't think it had better anyone than World. Still good, though
@RobN You're very smart and special for pointing out a PlayStation website is likely to have PlayStation bias. And I'm very proud of you for enabling bias in fields wherein such bias might have legitimate, real-world consequences.
@LogicStrikesAgain Honestly, I'm much more annoyed by the insistence of no bias than I am of bias itself. I don't really care if PS runs bias articles and narratives. But if their audience can't see that bias, that's when I'm inclined to speak up. Admittedly, I am a 2025 American, so I'm particularly triggered by bias blindness right now.
Though, even to your point, there would be a lot more thoughtful, nuanced discussion about these topics of the articles themselves were similarly thoughtful and nuanced.
@Slayer25c Typically, any indie released on GamePass (or PS+) gets a big boost in marketing from Microsoft or Sony. Which is, in a sense, helping fund the game. Has there been a specific case where Microsoft partially funded the development itself? I don't really know. But Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all have dedicated indie liaisons that help with many things, so I certainly wouldn't be surprised to learn they've all helped with funding at some point.
It was said Pentiment wouldn't exist without GamePass. Which, granted, the team is owned by Microsoft. But the scenario isn't that far removed from this. There's this from a few years ago: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/no-more-robots-im-just-doing-d-and-d-but-in-a-discord-server Which shows how GamePass has had the same positive effect as Nava attributes to PS+.
@Weebleman While I agree generally about how subs tend to benefit more indies than AAA titles (GENERALLY. I think it depends a lot more on marketability than budget. As well as who's profiting from the service), I don't think either article was written with that presumption.
@Weebleman Without getting deep into it — you can look through that GamePass article to find my thoughts in regards to it — just look at how that article talks about PlayStation Plus, and how this one talks about GamePass.
Negative GamePass article has nothing bad to say about PS+. Positive PS+ article only kinda, vaguely might afford GamePass similar praise through association, though it's only directly referenced in negative contexts. Obviously that one will read negatively about GP, and this one will read positively about PS+. It's about overall content, subtext, tone, and implication.
@LogicStrikesAgain The issue is that last article on GamePass didn't want to focus on the contents of itself, either. Instead, it used referenced comments to confirm its biases, then went on to further justify that bias.
In a vacuum, there's nothing wrong with this article. When associated with the last two articles about GamePass, it feels like a narrative is being pushed. If this article went more out of its way to distance itself from that 'GamePass bad' narrative — which wouldn't be necessary under normal circumstances — that would dissuade any site-wide claims of bias. But it doesn't, which doesn't help.
@ShogunRok Not overtly — for sure. But it also doesn't challenge the value of PlayStation Plus outside of mentioning that it AND GamePass have been scrutinized.
Which itself is harmless, but to then immediately follow that up by directly referencing GamePass' criticisms and — essentially in the same breath — restating Nava's praise makes it sound like an underhanded implication. I.e.: 'While both services have been questioned, GamePass has been under immediate scrutiny while PlayStation Plus just got some nice praise. Almost absolves it of that initial scrutiny (that's the implication)."
It's subtle, and probably a direct byproduct of me expecting PlayStation bias on this site (not necessarily to the fault of the site). But the article still doesn't really say anything but good things about PlayStation Plus.
@Frmknst That's an interesting take. I haven't finished it yet, but don't think it does anything notably worse than Journey other than storytelling. In fact, I'd say the boarding action design gives it an edge in gamefeel.
Its biggest sin is just not doing anything Journey didn't already.
"On the one hand, you're giving away the game for free to all these people who are already subscribed. But at the same time, way more people are playing it – you're getting more eyes on the game. And that's tremendously valuable as well."
Literally the crux of this whole topic. It's not about wage slavery. It's not about short-sighted, clueless suits. It's a decision about what works better for the marketability of your game. Should all Microsoft games be GamePass Day 1? Maybe not. Would a decent chuck of PlayStation games benefit in the long-run from co-launching on PS+? Yeah, probably.
Mario would never need to be attached to a sub service to be successful. But if Nintendo had a hypothetical GamePass of their own, they could've probably justified a bigger budget for DragXDrive. It might've looked better, had a much bigger player count, and might've still been remembered a year after release.
@ShogunRok It just would've been nice if all those times the site reported on industry insiders criticizing GamePass, we could've gotten some examples of praise (which exist) as a counterpoint.
Maybe also if the only mention of GamePass in this article wasn't "GamePass is accused of being unsustainable...anyway, PlayStation Plus sounds great!!!"
@EfYI I'm going to be perfectly honest: I'm having a hard time understanding what you're saying. I think you're questioning why a high-end console would outperform a midrange — comparatively — one. And that the hardware wars would be obsolete in a less competitive market (though I'm at a loss how that's according to my logic).
I'm not really saying the SXZ would outsell the PS6 on hardware alone. In fact, I'm not really saying either would definitively outsell the other — just that we could have a very interesting dynamic between the two. If all these rumors are true, it seems Sony is trying to make a cost effective hardware ecosystem likely somewhat beholden to their Switch alternative. Which would position Microsoft as the defacto power box. And while that doesn't mean they'll suddenly topple PlayStation's dominance, it does give them a unique marketing opportunity. "Why buy Sony's barely supported Switch and 'weak' high-end console, when you can buy the true powerhouse of the generation and accompany it with an actual Switch getting relentless support from Nintendo and ports of every Xbox game from OG to Series S|X? Also Steam." That's why I said they would be smart to support and work with Nintendo.
As for hardware not mattering: it'll always matter. And the market will always be competitive. It's not like Sony and Microsoft game swapping means that they aren't still direct competitors. Sony wants PlayStation to be the best selling console, and Microsoft is looking for ways to buckle their superiority. Sony directly trying to compete with Nintendo (which I think is a bad idea) while being conservative about hardware (which would leave a literal power vacuum in the console market) puts them in a vulnerable position. If anyone at Microsoft has brains, they can easily capitalize on this. All they need is a consumer base willing to spend shy of $1000 on a console, to bring back exclusives, to saddle up with Nintendo, and court Steam (which, despite rumors, I'm kinda doubtful of given other rumors about Valve getting into the console market).
@EfYI Well, it's according to rumors of Microsoft putting together a $700-800 PC/console hybrid. Which might not be true, but seems like a probable course of action for Microsoft.
This could actually make the next-gen PlayStation/Xbox dynamic interesting (sorry weird fanboys, but Microsoft definitely has one more solid shot before giving up on hardware entirely).
Microsoft will likely have the ultimate powerhouse console, while Sony will have that mild but capable midrange between the Switch 2 and Xbox Series 2 SXZ. If Microsoft were smart, they would position the SXZ as the perfect companion to the Switch 2. This would basically force Sony into an odd man out position. That Sony allegedly wants to directly compete with the Switch (which I would suggest they simply...don't), would enforce this even more. Meaning Sony has to justify to customers why they should invest in their ecosystem when they could get S2 and SXZ for about the same price, along with all the benefits (PC integration, Nintendo exclusives, GamePass, Xbox exclusives {almost certainly coming back for the next console}).
Comments 1,155
Re: Black Ops 7 Has Turned Down 'Big, Big Brands' for Crossovers After Fan Backlash
Oh goodie. Now everyone complaining will definitely buy and support the game, right? ...Right?
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate State of Play for September 2025?
@Bez87 I'm specifically talking about announcing a new game. Wasn't the last one Intergalactic, from a year ago? This year started with Wolverine, Saros, and Intergalactic to look forward to. And it looks like it'll end the same.
Re: Poll: How Would You Rate State of Play for September 2025?
I'd say it was overall a decent show. But how long do we have to wait for PlayStation to reveal a new title, already?
Re: Onimusha: Way of the Sword Still Looks Sick, But We Ain't Sold on That English Dub
@Strohl That's kinda a messed up way to disapprove of the dub work...
Re: Onimusha: Way of the Sword Still Looks Sick, But We Ain't Sold on That English Dub
Sounds fine (..?). The accents are a little jarring, and that guy at the end is hamming a bit. But the majority of the deliveries are solid — emotive, but not overdone.
Shrugs I guess just play with subs, if this is a problem.
Re: Is This the First Tease of Next-Gen PS6 Graphics?
@Lukasamba This is a very good point people never seem to consider. This is why NPCs tend to look worse than the main cast; it's not that it's technologically impossible to make them look phenomenal, it's just a big waste of resources that the team decided to use elsewhere.
Re: State of Play September 2025 Predictions: Marvel's Wolverine, Resident Evil Requiem, God of War, and More
I go into these with zero expectations. It'll be cool if that 2D God of War is real. Mostly because that would give Sony an excuse to put 1, 2, and the PSP games on PS+.
Anything to actually get excited about Intergalactic would be nice, too. And maybe...just a nice slate of new, 1st-party games. Stuff to get me real excited for PS5's 2026.
Re: Is This the First Tease of Next-Gen PS6 Graphics?
@get2sammyb But do we always need both? Graphical fidelity is nice, but gameplay/interactivity is why I play games. If I thought visuals alone were a quintessential part of the experience, there are better mediums for that.
Even besides that, art direction is leagues more important to me than fidelity. Bionis' Shoulder from the Wii version of Xenoblade is still more awe-inspiring than most of the stuff I've seen this generation. There's still plenty of stuff from the SNES — hell, even NES — that visually holds up quite well. Even something you can argue looks objectively s***, like the original Star Fox, still has charms that a photo realistic face just doesn't.
Re: Rumour: Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Coming to PS5 This Year After Stint of Switch 2 Exclusivity
@Oram77 I think the dub vs. sub debate is pretty pointless. Lots of dubs are great — sometimes even transcendent. And original Japanese voice work isn't guaranteed to be great. The quality of either just depends.
I recently watched Mob Psycho 100; fantastic dub. Been watching Dan Da Dan; fantastic dub. I can't watch FLCL in Japanese because the English voice work I grew up with is too phenomenal to replace. I've watched DBZ in English and DBSuper in Japanese, and thought they were mostly interchangeable.
I think we've been well past the days of s*** dubbing for decades now. Video games are maybe a little behind anime proper, but not by much.
Re: PS5's Incredibly Promising Phantom Blade Zero Sounds Absolutely Brutal on Its Hardest Difficulty
@Nepp67 The thing is, not every game needs advanced AI. Metal Gear might be a gold standard for AI, but it's only so good because it's a stealth-focused game that's supposed to make you feel underpowered where most of the gameplay variety stems from emergent cat-and-mouse dynamics.
Goombas don't need to react differently if they just saw a fellow Goomba perish under the heft of Mario's girth. And if they did, I dare say it wouldn't really improve the experience in any meaningful way. Even when dealing with a more advanced combat system, what are we proposing here? Fighting an enemy that reads if you're more prone to attack or defend, and intelligently focuses on your weakest element? That might sound cool to you, but you also need to realize that designing AI is a delicate balance between engaging and frustrating. Designers can make enemies smarter, with more varied combat options and greater line of sight. But that's liable to quickly turn a good game into nothing but an exercise in frustration.
Re: Konami Asks Which Metal Gear Solid Game You Want Remade Next
I just want Volume 2 with MGS4, Rising, and the PSP games.
Re: Ghost of Yotei's Very Reasonable Dev Budget on Par with Predecessor
@UltimateOtaku91 That's kinda how I've always seen it, too, in regards to Nintendo. There's probably an argument to be made that Breath of the Wild was Nintendo's first AAA game, and that maybe only it and Tears are AAA.
And I'd say I mostly agree with that Google definition. I just don't like the "published by large, well-known companies" part. It's ostensibly kinda a given due to circumstances, but the size of the company itself shouldn't directly contribute to the As of a game.
Anyhoo, to better explain what point I was even getting at in the first place — properly identifying the amount of As to allot a game isn't actually something I care about. I just wish people wouldn't make sweeping comments about the industry that hinge on a supposedly self-evident definition of what an A means. At best, these are vibes. It's very difficult to come to any real conclusion about anything with something so nebulous anchoring a discussion.
Re: Ghost of Yotei's Very Reasonable Dev Budget on Par with Predecessor
@Lowdefal "The internet itself can't seem to make up its mind."
Now that I wholeheartedly agree with. That's really more the point I wanted to make — what I don't get about the discourse. People argue so passionately about the pros and cons of AA vs. AAA, and how stupid AAAA is, but literally none of these have actual definitions. Like how indie doesn't actually refer to independently developed anymore, these are all just vibes.
I wrote a pretty long comment on here when half the site was convinced AA games can't make money, and Sony ergo shouldn't make them, that basically just said: 'no one knows what the f*** AA actually is in the first place.'
Re: Ghost of Yotei's Very Reasonable Dev Budget on Par with Predecessor
@Dalamar I can't even start a day without a few As.
Re: Ghost of Yotei's Very Reasonable Dev Budget on Par with Predecessor
@Lowdefal That's why it was a hypothetical. If a company spends 100 million on development, they're more likely to spend another 100 million on marketing because of sunk costs. I'm not arguing that. And I understand the point of marketing.
But I've never seen ANYONE define AA/AAA/AAAA as predominantly about marketing costs. When people argue AA games don't sell well, I don't think they mean it didn't have a big enough marketing budget. When people argue AAA costs to much, I don't think they're suggesting toning down marketing efforts. Most people would call Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World AAA, but they both had relatively brief marketing campaigns that mostly consisted of a few trailers and ads.
Like, even if I'm wrong and this is a commonly used definition, I still don't think it makes much sense. And kinda just adds to the nebulous nature of the designators I was getting at with my original comment.
EDIT: I also don't understand what you're saying with your addendum. So GTA with $0 marketing costs would still be AAA? So it's not about marketing costs, and is instead about overall costs? Which was the definition I was using. And in your following example, the $100 minion used for marketing DOESN'T make it AAA? Am I missing something? It sounds like you're contradicting your other comment.
Re: Ghost of Yotei's Very Reasonable Dev Budget on Par with Predecessor
@Lowdefal I've literally never heard anyone define it like that. Like you said, of course marketing plays a big role in overall budget. But I don't think development costs and marketing costs are often separated when designating As. So you're saying that if a hypothetical game had GTA's development costs but literally nothing for marketing, it wouldn't be AAA?
Re: Ghost of Yotei's Very Reasonable Dev Budget on Par with Predecessor
This is what I never get about the AA/AAA discourse: if this is 60 million, but other games are 100s of millions, why would they all be considered AAA? I know everyone had a jiffy at the mention of AAAA, but does leaving AAA all encompassing of — I guess — any budget >10 million really make any more sense?
Re: Even More Xbox Price Increases Make PS5 Look Like a Good Deal
@LuDaurre PlayStation seems to be course correcting away from GaaS. Nintendo isn't nearly as anti-consumer as the Internet wants you to believe. Aside from a few examples, most of Microsoft's content has had physical options — I'm sure their next console will have a disc drive too, since the Series S and PS5 Digital have sold significantly less than their counterparts. And I'm not really sure how Steam is better than any of them, regardless of physical vs. digital.
While I think a lack of exclusivity devalues consoles themselves, it definitely doesn't hamper the industry as a whole. In fact, it's probably better for it.
Dunno what you mean by "agenda." Nor do I see its correlation with innovation or lack thereof. This seems like a 'nothing' point, so I'm going to ignore it.
Arguably, we've been at the end of the 'Golden Era' of gaming since the Wii U launched. But the whole 'era' thing is mostly irrelevant to quality, and is really just a way for historians to designate timeframes differentiated by some cultural shift. Looking at comic books, for example, every era has had good and bad. A new era isn't really a bad thing, it's just a new time for different stuff.
I think gaming is stronger than it's ever been, personally. I might not like everything going on in the industry, but the sheer amount of games, voices, quality, new IP, thriving IP, gamers,etc.,etc. is beyond a scope I ever could've imagined as a kid. There's something for everyone. Which is not something you can confidently say about every generation in gaming.
Re: Even More Xbox Price Increases Make PS5 Look Like a Good Deal
I've been waiting for a 2tb Series S at a modest $200-300 this whole generation. Figured it wouldn't take long, what with the Series selling jacks***.
I didn't anticipate the global supply chain would still be hurting and would, in fact, be further damaged by some ̷I̷d̷i̷o̷t̷ GLORIOUS LEADER.
Re: Battlefield 6's Lack of Console-Only Crossplay Suddenly a Sticking Point for PS5 Players
The Internet is always mad about something. I mean, hackers can be problematic — sure. But there's already so many different ways to play games, I see the mouse complaint as moot (cross play Overwatch you got PC's mouse, dual-analog's aim assist, Switch/Dualsense gyro, yet I've never felt it was overly unfair). Also, does it not super mouse controls on consoles?
And even with the hackers, while I get the concern, I always felt that was a part of the flavor of online play. It's kinda the fun. But I also don't give a s*** about my stats, and play online, like, once a month. So maybe I'm not the best judge of severity there.
Re: Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (PS5) - PS5's Best Kart Racer Is Robust, Chaotic Fun
Year of kart racers, baby. Mario Kart, Sonic Racing, Air Ride, and — of course — Garfield Kart.
Re: In Spain, the PS5 Is Starting to Outsell the Switch 2 Again
@AhmadSumadi Don't think that Wii-Wii U comparison is the best example of your point. One's novelty is motion controls. The other is a touch screen — specifically a dual screen. Really, the Wii U has more common ground with the Switch than the Wii
Unless you're saying that the novelty of the Wii brand wore off. Which I think is a fair argument to make, and why Nintendo didn't name the Switch the Wii Go.
Re: In Spain, the PS5 Is Starting to Outsell the Switch 2 Again
@1UP-HUSKY From 5 minutes of sleuthing, it seems like the tracking firm of Spain is actually quite mum about sales. There are occasional public announcements, but generally their data is exclusively for publishers.
Which still isn't me saying that this is absolutely wrong. But the only way they could have that information is if they have an insider. They do have some hard software sales numbers, so that adds to their credibility (if, ya know, they're real). But still kinda hard to gauge it if they don't regularly report sales data. And I'm not going to learn Spanish and listen to hours of podcasts to find out.
Re: In Spain, the PS5 Is Starting to Outsell the Switch 2 Again
@Oram77 Marvel's Spider-Man's DLC rollout started a month after the game's initial release. No one cared then, and we did hear the end of it, because this is not an odd or uncommon practice.
Re: In Spain, the PS5 Is Starting to Outsell the Switch 2 Again
@1UP-HUSKY I don't care who's selling the most on Spain or anywhere else. Just seems like a weird source. Like, does the podcast have a history of reporting sales data?
I'm sorry I'm questioning this information that serves your perspective of king PlayStation instead of immediately accepting it as true.
Re: In Spain, the PS5 Is Starting to Outsell the Switch 2 Again
@1UP-HUSKY Actually, it was just Bananza, Pokemon, and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
Re: In Spain, the PS5 Is Starting to Outsell the Switch 2 Again
@Flaming_Kaiser Jesus, this is all misinformation. The DLC is not locked on the disc, how would anyone even know that before it comes out? It's also not even out until February — not day 1. People are just mad that it was announced before the base game released, and it's already available for pre-order. Which is not uncommon in games; I already have the season pass for Pac-Man World 2 pre-ordered.
The 'paywalled Pokemon' are mega evolutions that you need to participate in online events to get. Which I'm not going to go out of my way to defend the practice itself. But I'm also pretty sure other games have locked content behind online events, and I'm certain Pokemon has been doing this for a while now.
Re: In Spain, the PS5 Is Starting to Outsell the Switch 2 Again
How does this random podcast have such up-to-date sales info...? Especially surprised they have September sales before September even ends.
Re: 'Quit Game and Restart': PS5 Pro Has the Worst Version of Borderlands 4
@MARl0 Why would they do that, though? It's not like developers get anything out of making a Pro version. If Sony cracks down on poorly optimized Pro games, developers will just stop making Pro editions. And then it's just a notably more expensive PS5.
Re: Fans Worry About the Future of Former PS5, PS4 Hit Fall Guys
@AgentMantis Honestly don't see how it's any different than before. Plays the same, has the same levels...shrugs
I always thought it was a s****y platformer propped up by its player count. It's non-obstacle challenges are a bit more interesting, but nothing Mario Party or Kung Fu Chaos didn't do better 20 years ago — sans the aforementioned player count
Re: PS5 Firmware Update Out Tomorrow, Brings Power Saver Mode, DualSense Controller Pairing
@Oram77 Feigning eco-activism.
Re: 'Genesis Does What Nintendon't': Sonic Racing Takes Shots at Mario Kart World
@ShadowRJ That's what I'm saying. Like, I understand the criticism, but I also wonder what exactly these people think would actually improve the experience.
Would narrative context fix it for them? A completion tracker? Some sort of progressive structure or unlockables? I'd kinda argue that if you need such incentive to drive around the game's wonderfully expressive world, you wouldn't enjoy exploring it anyway.
Re: 'Genesis Does What Nintendon't': Sonic Racing Takes Shots at Mario Kart World
@Judal27 Personally, I play World like I used to play GTA: just cruise around and get into some random hijinks.
I kinda hate to at it's a player error, since it should've been designed to compel as maybe as possible, but I personally like it quite a lot. And if I start getting bored of cruising, I just jump into some actual races. It all works for me. I just think 8 Deluxe has better tracks (track-tracks, not referring to the intermissions. Although I actual like those intermissions a lot, and think they go a long way to differentiate World from 8), and Crossworlds has...actually, I didn't think it had better anyone than World. Still good, though
Re: 'Genesis Does What Nintendon't': Sonic Racing Takes Shots at Mario Kart World
@Ultimapunch It's like complaining why he was Mean Bean Machine-ing when he could've just spindashed everyone to death
Re: PS5 Creeps Past 7 Million Sales in Japan
The Switch has collectively sold 36 million, if anyone was wondering. And the original PlayStation managed ~20 million.
But yeah...7 million? That's good, I guess.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@RobN You're very smart and special for pointing out a PlayStation website is likely to have PlayStation bias. And I'm very proud of you for enabling bias in fields wherein such bias might have legitimate, real-world consequences.
Am I doing the snark right?
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@LogicStrikesAgain Honestly, I'm much more annoyed by the insistence of no bias than I am of bias itself. I don't really care if PS runs bias articles and narratives. But if their audience can't see that bias, that's when I'm inclined to speak up. Admittedly, I am a 2025 American, so I'm particularly triggered by bias blindness right now.
Though, even to your point, there would be a lot more thoughtful, nuanced discussion about these topics of the articles themselves were similarly thoughtful and nuanced.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@Slayer25c Typically, any indie released on GamePass (or PS+) gets a big boost in marketing from Microsoft or Sony. Which is, in a sense, helping fund the game. Has there been a specific case where Microsoft partially funded the development itself? I don't really know. But Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo all have dedicated indie liaisons that help with many things, so I certainly wouldn't be surprised to learn they've all helped with funding at some point.
It was said Pentiment wouldn't exist without GamePass. Which, granted, the team is owned by Microsoft. But the scenario isn't that far removed from this. There's this from a few years ago: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/no-more-robots-im-just-doing-d-and-d-but-in-a-discord-server Which shows how GamePass has had the same positive effect as Nava attributes to PS+.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@Weebleman While I agree generally about how subs tend to benefit more indies than AAA titles (GENERALLY. I think it depends a lot more on marketability than budget. As well as who's profiting from the service), I don't think either article was written with that presumption.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@Weebleman Without getting deep into it — you can look through that GamePass article to find my thoughts in regards to it — just look at how that article talks about PlayStation Plus, and how this one talks about GamePass.
Negative GamePass article has nothing bad to say about PS+. Positive PS+ article only kinda, vaguely might afford GamePass similar praise through association, though it's only directly referenced in negative contexts. Obviously that one will read negatively about GP, and this one will read positively about PS+. It's about overall content, subtext, tone, and implication.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@LogicStrikesAgain The issue is that last article on GamePass didn't want to focus on the contents of itself, either. Instead, it used referenced comments to confirm its biases, then went on to further justify that bias.
In a vacuum, there's nothing wrong with this article. When associated with the last two articles about GamePass, it feels like a narrative is being pushed. If this article went more out of its way to distance itself from that 'GamePass bad' narrative — which wouldn't be necessary under normal circumstances — that would dissuade any site-wide claims of bias. But it doesn't, which doesn't help.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@ShogunRok Not overtly — for sure. But it also doesn't challenge the value of PlayStation Plus outside of mentioning that it AND GamePass have been scrutinized.
Which itself is harmless, but to then immediately follow that up by directly referencing GamePass' criticisms and — essentially in the same breath — restating Nava's praise makes it sound like an underhanded implication. I.e.: 'While both services have been questioned, GamePass has been under immediate scrutiny while PlayStation Plus just got some nice praise. Almost absolves it of that initial scrutiny (that's the implication)."
It's subtle, and probably a direct byproduct of me expecting PlayStation bias on this site (not necessarily to the fault of the site). But the article still doesn't really say anything but good things about PlayStation Plus.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@Frmknst That's an interesting take. I haven't finished it yet, but don't think it does anything notably worse than Journey other than storytelling. In fact, I'd say the boarding action design gives it an edge in gamefeel.
Its biggest sin is just not doing anything Journey didn't already.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
"On the one hand, you're giving away the game for free to all these people who are already subscribed. But at the same time, way more people are playing it – you're getting more eyes on the game. And that's tremendously valuable as well."
Literally the crux of this whole topic. It's not about wage slavery. It's not about short-sighted, clueless suits. It's a decision about what works better for the marketability of your game. Should all Microsoft games be GamePass Day 1? Maybe not. Would a decent chuck of PlayStation games benefit in the long-run from co-launching on PS+? Yeah, probably.
Mario would never need to be attached to a sub service to be successful. But if Nintendo had a hypothetical GamePass of their own, they could've probably justified a bigger budget for DragXDrive. It might've looked better, had a much bigger player count, and might've still been remembered a year after release.
Re: 'It Saved the Game': Sword of the Sea Dev Praises Sony, Explains PS Plus Deal
@ShogunRok It just would've been nice if all those times the site reported on industry insiders criticizing GamePass, we could've gotten some examples of praise (which exist) as a counterpoint.
Maybe also if the only mention of GamePass in this article wasn't "GamePass is accused of being unsustainable...anyway, PlayStation Plus sounds great!!!"
Re: Rumour: PS6 Will Have a Detachable Disc Drive, Much Simpler Design
@EfYI I'm going to be perfectly honest: I'm having a hard time understanding what you're saying. I think you're questioning why a high-end console would outperform a midrange — comparatively — one. And that the hardware wars would be obsolete in a less competitive market (though I'm at a loss how that's according to my logic).
I'm not really saying the SXZ would outsell the PS6 on hardware alone. In fact, I'm not really saying either would definitively outsell the other — just that we could have a very interesting dynamic between the two. If all these rumors are true, it seems Sony is trying to make a cost effective hardware ecosystem likely somewhat beholden to their Switch alternative. Which would position Microsoft as the defacto power box. And while that doesn't mean they'll suddenly topple PlayStation's dominance, it does give them a unique marketing opportunity. "Why buy Sony's barely supported Switch and 'weak' high-end console, when you can buy the true powerhouse of the generation and accompany it with an actual Switch getting relentless support from Nintendo and ports of every Xbox game from OG to Series S|X? Also Steam." That's why I said they would be smart to support and work with Nintendo.
As for hardware not mattering: it'll always matter. And the market will always be competitive. It's not like Sony and Microsoft game swapping means that they aren't still direct competitors. Sony wants PlayStation to be the best selling console, and Microsoft is looking for ways to buckle their superiority. Sony directly trying to compete with Nintendo (which I think is a bad idea) while being conservative about hardware (which would leave a literal power vacuum in the console market) puts them in a vulnerable position. If anyone at Microsoft has brains, they can easily capitalize on this. All they need is a consumer base willing to spend shy of $1000 on a console, to bring back exclusives, to saddle up with Nintendo, and court Steam (which, despite rumors, I'm kinda doubtful of given other rumors about Valve getting into the console market).
Re: Rumour: PS6 Will Have a Detachable Disc Drive, Much Simpler Design
@EfYI Well, it's according to rumors of Microsoft putting together a $700-800 PC/console hybrid. Which might not be true, but seems like a probable course of action for Microsoft.
Re: Rumour: PS6 Will Have a Detachable Disc Drive, Much Simpler Design
@Balaam_ I don't hate the base model. But that grate on the Slim and Pro is horrid.
All of them are entirely too big, though.
Re: Rumour: PS6 Will Have a Detachable Disc Drive, Much Simpler Design
This could actually make the next-gen PlayStation/Xbox dynamic interesting (sorry weird fanboys, but Microsoft definitely has one more solid shot before giving up on hardware entirely).
Microsoft will likely have the ultimate powerhouse console, while Sony will have that mild but capable midrange between the Switch 2 and Xbox Series 2 SXZ. If Microsoft were smart, they would position the SXZ as the perfect companion to the Switch 2. This would basically force Sony into an odd man out position. That Sony allegedly wants to directly compete with the Switch (which I would suggest they simply...don't), would enforce this even more. Meaning Sony has to justify to customers why they should invest in their ecosystem when they could get S2 and SXZ for about the same price, along with all the benefits (PC integration, Nintendo exclusives, GamePass, Xbox exclusives {almost certainly coming back for the next console}).
Re: Even More Ex-Xbox Executives Speak Out About 'Tension' of Game Pass
@LogicStrikesAgain Ohh, look at that. My bad on bashing. I hadn't realized we were still on that first comment.
Annnnd...sure, I guess. For the sake of your joke, we can call my comment bashing. Shrugs W'ever.