Should of just signed the deal at the start, like most people with a brain said. Its been a poor show on Playstations part.
They got nothing extra, just some bad PR and Jim had a nightmare in court. Infact i believe the deal is now worse as they only get COD, and not the other IPs, which I believe was offered at the start. They have played a howler
@NotSoCryptic King may be the bigger play, but that doesn't mean gamepass won't improve at all, like you tried to say. That was just a completely false comment
@thefourfoldroot1 yes it does even it out. That's the whole point of what I said. Unless you refuse to play games on anything but a Playstation, this deal is a win for gamers
@NotSoCryptic "This won't improve game pass at all."
That's a whole entire mountain of copium. The idea that adding ABKs library of old and future games like CoD and Diablo doesn't improve gamepass at all, is frankly bananas
Sony will be great, so will Nintendo. I see it leveling out the gaming industry a bit, which was needed, and hopefully this will lead to more competition.
We as consumers will benefit from that. As a player on all 3 consoles, I actually think this weeks news was good for me and the industry
I am getting near the end of Ragnarok, think I will go for the platinum once I have finished the story.
Really liked the game, only let down was when you didn't play as Kratos. Those bits were poor in my opinion. Just nowhere near as fun and the combat is nowhere near as good. But only a slight blemish on a really enjoyable game.
@UltimateOtaku91 they don't practically own epic, they are not even the majority shareholder. Again you really are taking a very wierd stand with this. The Chinese government are your preferred custodians of the gaming industry, and everything that entails, just because they are not Microsoft. Very short sighted. Bananas.
@UltimateOtaku91 that's a really bad take buddy. You would prefer china to censor your games? You would prefer the Chinese government to control the gaming industry, just because they are not Microsoft?
I can understand people's worry with Microsoft owning ABK, but to then go full on bananas and start promoting Tencent, a subsidiary of the Chinese government, is a really bad look
@Ravix "I do wish Microsoft wouldn't keep saying stuff like "this proves it's good for competition and consumers" though. No it doesn't. It just proves the FTC are bumbling idiots"
Actually the judge said in her verdict that the trial proved the deal was good for competition and consumers, that's why Microsoft are using the quote. It's exactly what the Judge said lol
I think we all anticipated one final hail Mary play by the FTC. I dont give them much chance of sucess at all. And atleast its not a long wait
They need the appeal to be granted (not just submitted) before midnight Friday, as that is when the TRO ends. I suspect Microsoft will close the deal Monday aslong as the appeal is not granted.
It's all so Lina Khan can try to save face when she faces Congress today. Its going to be a bad day today for her and the FTC
The CMA trying to save face is cute. You messed up, now take the consequences on the chin. This charade is not fooling anyone. They will get some cloud concessions, worded differently to how it was before, but in reality it will be same deal repackaged
Sony will be great, so will Nintendo. I see it leveling out the gaming industry a bit, which hopefully will lead to more competition. We as consumers will benefit from that. As an owner of all 3 I actually think today's news was good
Looks like the CMA are backing down already and have asked for a stay of litigation to try and settle this without the CAT.
"In a further development today, Microsoft president Brad Smith has said the FTC's decision has prompted it and the CMA to agree that a "stay of litigation" is now "in the public interest" - sparking further hope for Microsoft of a breakthrough on these shores.
"After today's court decision in the US, our focus now turns back to the UK," Smith said today in a statement shared to Eurogamer. "While we ultimately disagree with the CMA's concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA.
In order to prioritise work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect."
CMA are going to agree to remedies and it will be a big win for the UK regulator. This is what the FTC should have done the whole time but unfortunately ideology got in the way, and now they look stupid.
It would not suprise me if after this, the FTC dropped their trial in August, as no matter what, they need a federal judge to side with them. And that's not going to happen based on this judgement.
The FTC does not have the power to block or divest, a federal court does.
It's a really bad day for the FTC, especially as they failed on every one of their points. It's also a really bad day for the CMA, who now have no support from any regulator or judge around the world.
PS Plus extra needs day 1 releases like this to be considered competition for Gamepass. Sony really need to improve the service a lot to get to a similar level
I have not actually played any 2023 releases on PlayStation yet, as I am still playing Ragnarok, but Final Fantasy 16 will be my next ps5 purchase for sure.
But counting everything, my favourite game releases so far this year have to be Zelda and Wo Long. Both awesome but for different reasons
Maybe it's because of safety protocols or verification keys or something, but why did they redesign the whole system and not just release a USB blu Ray drive and discontinue the disc version, so the only option was to buy a digital ps5 and a USB disc drive if you wanted one. Sounds like a much simpler solution
Isn't this what people have been saying for years, with regard to physical sales.
How come it's only an issue now that it's talking about an exclusive and one that is underperforming? When it's a multiplatform game, nobody cares and celebrates the charts because playstation has higher physical sales percentage.
Pretty funny to be honest
Team Ninja are my favourite developer, love ninja gaiden, nioh and wo long. Wo long was maybe a little too easy. But 2 things got me sweating a little
1. "Numerous side-quests that are more like Ubisoft side-quest designs" - That doesn't sound good, at all
2. The map full of map markers/map vomit has got some serious Ubisoft vibes about it - again not good, at all
I would prefer if this wasnt open world but I have faith this will be good. Team Ninja don't let me down too often.
Just please don't make it some casual friendly, barely-a-team-ninja-game, open world collect-a-thon with icons and fetch quests everywhere. For the love of god no!
Can't wait to play FF16 once I complete Ragnarok, but it seems to have come and gone with little more than a wimper, and the hype just hasn't been there at all. Square cant be happy.
How long are we guessing until they come out and say it did not meet sales expectations?
@lacerz the judge herself mentioned it on the very first day of the pre-trial. Understandably, both parties said they had no issue at all with it. She is the same Judge who presided over the "gamers lawsuit" aswell
@GodofCapcom I didn't give my opinion on anything. I never said if I am pro or against the merger. I present some facts about the topic that were missing from the article to help people. @UltimateOtaku91 is a friend on here who I talk with alot. If that's your idea of being a fanboy I don't know what to tell you lol. What a wierd comment
74% seems like a huge drop, but until digital is included we just won't know the full picture.
But I can see why Square were concerned before launch of low preorder numbers, 74% is huge, probably should have cut the marketing budget in half at least
Il be picking up my copy after I finish Zelda and Ragnarok
I guessed 85 on metacritic and its currently 88, so I was not a million miles away, just a little lower.
I will be buying this as my next game, when I have finished Zelda and Ragnarok, but that could take a while!
Shame the performance was not fixed from the demo, as it was my friends biggest issue. He said performance mode on the demo was awful, but he was probably exaggerating a little, he likes to do that
That review history for FF games is shockingly bad. 40/40 for 13-2, wow. The 38/40 for FF15 is shocking, they even scored Forspoken 35/40, what were they thinking
Ragnarok was on sale at various places like Game in the UK for £35 and less, so I suspect that had a lot to do with it hitting 4th again. Still yet to finish Ragnarok due to Zelda, but enjoyed what I played, even if it doesn't quite hit the same heights as 2018 so far
@Cordyceps Got to agree. I am looking forward to FF16 and its my most hyped PS5 game this year, but even I am sick of hearing it over the last few weeks. Its been well over the top and some of the costs must be huge.
@4kgk2 Whoever is footing the bill, its excessive. But I hope you are correct, I have not heard anything like that.
Last I heard they were really worried as Pre orders were low, even when considering only releasing on PS5, as reported on this very site.
No wonder SE are never happy with the sales figures of their games, when their marketing budget is so astronomical.
You reported here a few weeks ago that SE were already not happy with pre order numbers, as they were lower than expected, even when factoring in only launching on PS5.
Wo Long was awesome. Really liked that game. Lies of P x Wo Long is the gamepass Collab we never knew we needed. Could be promising, or it could be worthless cosmetics.
@tallythwack if your character is on the floor in DMC, you are doing it wrong.
That's a bit of a shame, the depth of DMC combat is what makes it great and engaging.
Maybe FF16 will offer depth in other ways. I look forward to finding out. Thanks for the heads up!
Is the combat like DMC where you have several weapons and several guns and you switch between them all regularly to extend combos etc? Like DMC has all the swords, nun chucks, and even a motorbike to swap between....
I skipped the demo and I am waiting for the full game to come out. But was just wondering exactly how close the combat is to DMC. In my head I imagine it more as "DMC lite/my first DMC" if that makes sense. Can anyone confirm
Open world/modern day "fluff" is one of my least favourite parts of modern gaming.
Linear 1 player games like Ninja Gaiden black and Ninja Gaiden 2 are a decent length. And because the games are so good, and the diferent difficulties are challenging, the replay value is off the charts aswell.
I'm going to wait for the full game, but a friend of mine is saying the performance mode is really bad, and a few on here have mentiondd it aswell which is a little concerning. Look forward to the full game!
Comments 790
Re: Every Little Helps! UK Giant Tesco Will Stop Stocking Physical Video Games
The big tesco near me stopped selling physical games about 1 and a half years ago, I actually thought they all had.
I usually used amazon or smyths anyway
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@NotSoCryptic like I said, way to emotional for that kind of mental gymnastics.
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@NotSoCryptic your too emotional, that was a really really long way to say that adding ABK games to gamepass improves the service.
Re: Sony and Microsoft Sign a 'Binding Agreement' to Keep Call of Duty on PlayStation
Should of just signed the deal at the start, like most people with a brain said. Its been a poor show on Playstations part.
They got nothing extra, just some bad PR and Jim had a nightmare in court. Infact i believe the deal is now worse as they only get COD, and not the other IPs, which I believe was offered at the start. They have played a howler
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@NotSoCryptic King may be the bigger play, but that doesn't mean gamepass won't improve at all, like you tried to say. That was just a completely false comment
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@thefourfoldroot1 yes it does even it out. That's the whole point of what I said. Unless you refuse to play games on anything but a Playstation, this deal is a win for gamers
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
@NotSoCryptic "This won't improve game pass at all."
That's a whole entire mountain of copium. The idea that adding ABKs library of old and future games like CoD and Diablo doesn't improve gamepass at all, is frankly bananas
Re: FTC Fails to Delay Microsoft's $69 Billion Buyout of Activision Blizzard
Sony will be great, so will Nintendo. I see it leveling out the gaming industry a bit, which was needed, and hopefully this will lead to more competition.
We as consumers will benefit from that. As a player on all 3 consoles, I actually think this weeks news was good for me and the industry
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 485
I am getting near the end of Ragnarok, think I will go for the platinum once I have finished the story.
Really liked the game, only let down was when you didn't play as Kratos. Those bits were poor in my opinion. Just nowhere near as fun and the combat is nowhere near as good. But only a slight blemish on a really enjoyable game.
Re: Destruction AllStars Dev Gobbled Up by Tencent Subsidiary
@UltimateOtaku91 they don't practically own epic, they are not even the majority shareholder. Again you really are taking a very wierd stand with this. The Chinese government are your preferred custodians of the gaming industry, and everything that entails, just because they are not Microsoft. Very short sighted. Bananas.
Re: Destruction AllStars Dev Gobbled Up by Tencent Subsidiary
@UltimateOtaku91 that's a really bad take buddy. You would prefer china to censor your games? You would prefer the Chinese government to control the gaming industry, just because they are not Microsoft?
I can understand people's worry with Microsoft owning ABK, but to then go full on bananas and start promoting Tencent, a subsidiary of the Chinese government, is a really bad look
Re: The FTC Officially Files an Appeal Against Microsoft-Activision Court Victory
@Ravix "I do wish Microsoft wouldn't keep saying stuff like "this proves it's good for competition and consumers" though. No it doesn't. It just proves the FTC are bumbling idiots"
Actually the judge said in her verdict that the trial proved the deal was good for competition and consumers, that's why Microsoft are using the quote. It's exactly what the Judge said lol
Re: The FTC Officially Files an Appeal Against Microsoft-Activision Court Victory
I think we all anticipated one final hail Mary play by the FTC. I dont give them much chance of sucess at all. And atleast its not a long wait
They need the appeal to be granted (not just submitted) before midnight Friday, as that is when the TRO ends. I suspect Microsoft will close the deal Monday aslong as the appeal is not granted.
It's all so Lina Khan can try to save face when she faces Congress today. Its going to be a bad day today for her and the FTC
Re: Gex Is Back! The Complete PS1 Trilogy Comes to PS5, PS4
It's tail time!
Re: UK Regulator 'Still Stands' by Decision to Block Xbox's $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Buyout
The CMA trying to save face is cute. You messed up, now take the consequences on the chin. This charade is not fooling anyone. They will get some cloud concessions, worded differently to how it was before, but in reality it will be same deal repackaged
Re: Reaction: What Happens to PlayStation if Microsoft Buys Activision Blizzard?
Sony will be great, so will Nintendo. I see it leveling out the gaming industry a bit, which hopefully will lead to more competition. We as consumers will benefit from that. As an owner of all 3 I actually think today's news was good
Re: Microsoft Beats US Regulator FTC in Activision Blizzard Buyout Battle
Looks like the CMA are backing down already and have asked for a stay of litigation to try and settle this without the CAT.
"In a further development today, Microsoft president Brad Smith has said the FTC's decision has prompted it and the CMA to agree that a "stay of litigation" is now "in the public interest" - sparking further hope for Microsoft of a breakthrough on these shores.
"After today's court decision in the US, our focus now turns back to the UK," Smith said today in a statement shared to Eurogamer. "While we ultimately disagree with the CMA's concerns, we are considering how the transaction might be modified in order to address those concerns in a way that is acceptable to the CMA.
In order to prioritise work on these proposals, Microsoft and Activision have agreed with the CMA that a stay of the litigation in the UK would be in the public interest and the parties have made a joint submission to the Competition Appeal Tribunal to this effect."
CMA are going to agree to remedies and it will be a big win for the UK regulator. This is what the FTC should have done the whole time but unfortunately ideology got in the way, and now they look stupid.
Probably worth an update to the article
Re: Microsoft Beats US Regulator FTC in Activision Blizzard Buyout Battle
It would not suprise me if after this, the FTC dropped their trial in August, as no matter what, they need a federal judge to side with them. And that's not going to happen based on this judgement.
The FTC does not have the power to block or divest, a federal court does.
It's a really bad day for the FTC, especially as they failed on every one of their points. It's also a really bad day for the CMA, who now have no support from any regulator or judge around the world.
Re: UK Sales Charts: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Fends Off Final Fantasy 16
TotK is a brilliant game, fully deserves its massive success
Re: SEGA Survey Suggests Persona 3 Reload to Retail for $69.99
PS Plus extra needs day 1 releases like this to be considered competition for Gamepass. Sony really need to improve the service a lot to get to a similar level
Re: Talking Point: What Are Your Favourite PS5, PS4 Games of 2023 So Far?
I have not actually played any 2023 releases on PlayStation yet, as I am still playing Ragnarok, but Final Fantasy 16 will be my next ps5 purchase for sure.
But counting everything, my favourite game releases so far this year have to be Zelda and Wo Long. Both awesome but for different reasons
Re: PS5 Is €100 Off in Some European Countries, Suggesting Hardware Revision Is Coming
Maybe it's because of safety protocols or verification keys or something, but why did they redesign the whole system and not just release a USB blu Ray drive and discontinue the disc version, so the only option was to buy a digital ps5 and a USB disc drive if you wanted one. Sounds like a much simpler solution
Re: Over 56% of Final Fantasy 16 UK Launch Sales Were Digital, But the Charts Only Count Physical
Isn't this what people have been saying for years, with regard to physical sales.
How come it's only an issue now that it's talking about an exclusive and one that is underperforming? When it's a multiplatform game, nobody cares and celebrates the charts because playstation has higher physical sales percentage.
Pretty funny to be honest
Re: Rise of the Ronin Leak Suggests a Q1 2024 Launch on PS5, More Details
Team Ninja are my favourite developer, love ninja gaiden, nioh and wo long. Wo long was maybe a little too easy. But 2 things got me sweating a little
1. "Numerous side-quests that are more like Ubisoft side-quest designs" - That doesn't sound good, at all
2. The map full of map markers/map vomit has got some serious Ubisoft vibes about it - again not good, at all
I would prefer if this wasnt open world but I have faith this will be good. Team Ninja don't let me down too often.
Just please don't make it some casual friendly, barely-a-team-ninja-game, open world collect-a-thon with icons and fetch quests everywhere. For the love of god no!
Re: UK Sales Charts: Final Fantasy 16 Booted from the Top While God of War Ragnarok Climbs
Can't wait to play FF16 once I complete Ragnarok, but it seems to have come and gone with little more than a wimper, and the hype just hasn't been there at all. Square cant be happy.
How long are we guessing until they come out and say it did not meet sales expectations?
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 483
Ragnarok again this weekend on my Zelda break. Enjoying the spear! Really cool weapon
Re: Canada Joins UK, US in Questioning Microsoft's Activision Blizzard Buyout
@lacerz the judge herself mentioned it on the very first day of the pre-trial. Understandably, both parties said they had no issue at all with it. She is the same Judge who presided over the "gamers lawsuit" aswell
Re: Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
Removed
Re: Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
@GodofCapcom you obviously didnt read them very well then lol. Your the only one console warring in here. another one added to the ignore list
Re: Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
@GodofCapcom I didn't give my opinion on anything. I never said if I am pro or against the merger. I present some facts about the topic that were missing from the article to help people. @UltimateOtaku91 is a friend on here who I talk with alot. If that's your idea of being a fanboy I don't know what to tell you lol. What a wierd comment
Re: Microsoft's Potential Game Plan in 2020: 'Spend Sony Out of Business'
@UltimateOtaku91 I believe the email was already dismissed by the same Judge in the Gamers Lawsuit. It's just one guys thoughts in a court of law.
When Booty was in court last week, he had to testify about this email. Pete Hines also had to testify about some of his emails aswell.
Not sure why the email has blew up again today, when it was discussed ad nauseum last week
Re: UK Sales Charts: PS5 Exclusive Final Fantasy 16 Debuts at Number One
74% seems like a huge drop, but until digital is included we just won't know the full picture.
But I can see why Square were concerned before launch of low preorder numbers, 74% is huge, probably should have cut the marketing budget in half at least
Il be picking up my copy after I finish Zelda and Ragnarok
Re: Talking Point: What Are You Playing This Weekend? - Issue 482
Taking a break from Zelda and playing Ragnarok this weekend. Happy gaming everyone!
Re: Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Is Out for PS5 on 24th October
MGS1 looks really rough in the video
Re: Final Fantasy 16 (PS5) - Final Fantasy's Triumphant Return to the Top
@Jedihillis "This review does take the day one patch into account. Based on my testing, the update did improve performance, but only slightly."
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
@Neither_scene The CMA dropped the home console theory of harm. They are not concerned with that anymore, only Cloud
Re: Final Fantasy 16 (PS5) - Final Fantasy's Triumphant Return to the Top
I guessed 85 on metacritic and its currently 88, so I was not a million miles away, just a little lower.
I will be buying this as my next game, when I have finished Zelda and Ragnarok, but that could take a while!
Shame the performance was not fixed from the demo, as it was my friends biggest issue. He said performance mode on the demo was awful, but he was probably exaggerating a little, he likes to do that
Re: Starfield, Redfall Exclusivity 'Powerful Evidence' Against Xbox's Activision Buyout, Claims FTC
What a flimsy argument, I would have thought they would have come up with something a lot more water tight than that to argue for a PI.
A console argument rejected by every other regulatory body around the world, including the UK. facepalm
Re: First Final Fantasy 16 Review Awards a Near-Perfect Score
That review history for FF games is shockingly bad. 40/40 for 13-2, wow. The 38/40 for FF15 is shocking, they even scored Forspoken 35/40, what were they thinking
Re: God of War Ragnarok Sales Are Increasing in the UK
Ragnarok was on sale at various places like Game in the UK for £35 and less, so I suspect that had a lot to do with it hitting 4th again. Still yet to finish Ragnarok due to Zelda, but enjoyed what I played, even if it doesn't quite hit the same heights as 2018 so far
Re: Final Fantasy 16's PS5 Marketing Hype Peaks with Official Exhibition at Tower of London
@Cordyceps Got to agree. I am looking forward to FF16 and its my most hyped PS5 game this year, but even I am sick of hearing it over the last few weeks. Its been well over the top and some of the costs must be huge.
@4kgk2 Whoever is footing the bill, its excessive. But I hope you are correct, I have not heard anything like that.
Last I heard they were really worried as Pre orders were low, even when considering only releasing on PS5, as reported on this very site.
Re: Final Fantasy 16's PS5 Marketing Hype Peaks with Official Exhibition at Tower of London
No wonder SE are never happy with the sales figures of their games, when their marketing budget is so astronomical.
You reported here a few weeks ago that SE were already not happy with pre order numbers, as they were lower than expected, even when factoring in only launching on PS5.
Re: Lies of P, Wo Long Collab Announced, More Details Soon
Wo Long was awesome. Really liked that game.
Lies of P x Wo Long is the gamepass Collab we never knew we needed. Could be promising, or it could be worthless cosmetics.
Re: Devil May Cry Designer Crafts Magnum Opus with Final Fantasy 16
@tallythwack if your character is on the floor in DMC, you are doing it wrong.
That's a bit of a shame, the depth of DMC combat is what makes it great and engaging.
Maybe FF16 will offer depth in other ways. I look forward to finding out. Thanks for the heads up!
Re: Devil May Cry Designer Crafts Magnum Opus with Final Fantasy 16
Is the combat like DMC where you have several weapons and several guns and you switch between them all regularly to extend combos etc? Like DMC has all the swords, nun chucks, and even a motorbike to swap between....
I skipped the demo and I am waiting for the full game to come out. But was just wondering exactly how close the combat is to DMC. In my head I imagine it more as "DMC lite/my first DMC" if that makes sense. Can anyone confirm
Re: Sorry, But Games Are Probably Going to Take Longer Than Ever to Make on PS5
Open world/modern day "fluff" is one of my least favourite parts of modern gaming.
Linear 1 player games like Ninja Gaiden black and Ninja Gaiden 2 are a decent length. And because the games are so good, and the diferent difficulties are challenging, the replay value is off the charts aswell.
Re: PS5 Title Pragmata Finally Reappears Only to Confirm an Indefinite Delay
The delay sucks but I still think this game looks really awesome and capcom usually deliver great games
Re: USA's FTC Poised to Drop Injunction on Xbox's $69 Billion Activision Blizzard Buyout
2 weeks time and it should be alot clearer what is going to happen. They will get a 2 week temporary order
Re: Capcom's Unstoppable Streak Aims to Continue with Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
Looks interesting and capcom are awesome. I didn't actually realise during the show that this is day 1 gamepass. What a get for that service
Re: Poll: What Do You Think of the Final Fantasy 16 PS5 Demo?
I'm going to wait for the full game, but a friend of mine is saying the performance mode is really bad, and a few on here have mentiondd it aswell which is a little concerning. Look forward to the full game!