Comments 193

Re: There Are More Developers Working on PS4 Than Any Other Console

Shaolin

Whilst I agree that quantity of games under development isn't the be all and end all it can't hurt right? Hopefully, the greater the number of devs working on PS4 titles the more likely that some of those titles will be great. Even if it only turns out to be a handful of them that are good that would be absolutely fine by me.

Re: PS4 Exclusive RIME Almost Ended Up on the Xbox One

Shaolin

I'm very much looking forward to learning more about this charming game and then playing it.

Regarding Microsoft passing on it I'm sure it will have just simply come down to business. I'm sure that the pendulum swings both ways on these things. Apparently Playdead pitched Limbo to Sony as PlayStation exclusive but Sony demanded ownership of the IP so they took it as a timed exclusive to Xbox instead. Once again, it's all just business nothing more sinister than that.

Re: Rumour: Europe, You May Be Getting a Free Copy of Dead Nation for PS4

Shaolin

Dead Nation is possibly my favourite PSN game of all time! If this game doesn't get you into twin stick shooters then nothing else is likely to.

I definitely wouldn't be interested in a straight ps4 port though because it was more than capable enough on the ps3. What I, and all the other Housemarque fans out there want instead, is Dead Nation 2 on ps4!!

Re: Analyst: PS4 Sales Will Surpass 100 Million Over the Next Six Years

Shaolin

I'm confident that it can be done. The ps4 has brought us AAA gaming for the unbelievably cheap price of a sim-free smartphone. Social networking and increased online exposure means that all it needs is a couple of people in your friend group to buy a ps4 and everybody else gets one to join in the fun. Also, gaming used to be a thing for kiddies but now those kids have grown up and are introducing gaming to their own children instead of going camping. All of that together with new availability to previously untapped regions in the world. Even if we don't reach the 100 million mark it will easily beat out ps3's figures. The only thing I don't think we'll see is the level of profitability from the past. A lot of people on here don't realise that, sadly, selling more PS4s doesn't equate to higher profitability.

Re: Whoa, There Are 100 Games Coming to PlayStation 4 in 2014

Shaolin

If 5 to 10 of those 100 games turn out to be good then I personally will be quite happy. Although, I must say that I do agree with the sentiments expressed above - why on earth aren't the actual AAA blockbuster titles being marketed instead of this "100" number?? That makes Sony sound really desperate to boast something, anything but we all know that ps4's future prospects are much brighter than this type of marketing suggests.

Re: UK Sales Charts: FIFA 14 Reclaims League Leadership

Shaolin

The saddest thing for me about FIFA 14 (and I later found out that it's not the game's fault at all) is that my family or friends always used to get together for 3 vs 3 match days (and nights). Believe me when I say that these are real cornerstone social gatherings. You can imagine how it went down at the last one when I proudly bring out the shiny new ps4. Expectations were high and people were even asking whether with all the extra power if it could even handle 4 vs 4. Instead I found out in front of everyone that you can only connect 4 controllers which is a real shame. I don't know whether other game systems still do 3 vs 3 but for the moment it's back to the ps3 for us.

Re: Do You Want to Play The Last of Us on PS4? You Should Say So

Shaolin

Personally I think it would be great if ps4 got a Last of Us............. sequel.

I don't think that an identical port to ps4 would generate the best return on investment for Sony. Unlike Tomb Raider, TLoU wasn't created to run on x86 hardware so converting it would be much more expensive. Also, the ps4 version of Tomb Raider may be doing well but that's in the absence of any real competition during this launch window shortage of top class games. By the time they could ready TLoU for ps4, gaming in general may have moved on and the appetite for this may have died down. Have you ever asked your friends if they want to go out on Friday night and they're all really up for it but by the time Friday comes around none of them can make it any more? Well I hope this doesn't happen to Sony and that a few vocal fans don't convince Sony to forgo due diligence on doing their market research to determine actual demand for this from people who'll pay for it when it releases.

Re: PS4 Propels Sony Back to Profitability, but Kaz Hirai Vaporizes Vaio

Shaolin

Let's face it Sony is very well respected business with massive brand penetration and loyalty. PlayStation is strong and is very unlikely to be leaving Sony any time soon.

But what these recent events do mean is that Sony is going to have a much tougher time raising money because Moody's has just downgraded their stock to the lowest level there is. The only way that concerns me as a gamer is if funding on 1st party titles like Uncharted get capped. Otherwise I'm sure it will be business as usual for us PlayStation fans.

Re: PS4 Exclusive The Order: 1886 Styling Its Facial Hair Ahead of Unveiling

Shaolin

I've just read on another website that this game will be single-player only. I think that a good implementation of multiplayer could've been fun but if they didn't have the resources needed to make it good then it's probably for the best that they chose to leave it out.

Oh and I've been read other people making concerned comments about black bars on the screen or something like that. Does Push Square know anything more reliable on that subject?

Re: How Microsoft's Hostile Indie Policies Could Impact PS4

Shaolin

@get2sammyb @Gamer83
Apologies for the late reply on this one but I thought I should address your belief that Witch Beam should be "given the opportunity to release on another platform". As I said in my previous comment, it's all just business pure and simple. Any developer has a very simple choice laid out in front of them and in any case it will always be worthwhile for a business to attempt striking up a negotiation. Look at the following case of pure business which you reported on this very website:

https://www.pushsquare.com/news/2012/07/sony_wanted_limbo_as_an_exclusive

Is it worth calling Sony "scummiest" for doing this??? Not at all. It took what seemed like an age before Limbo appeared on PSN and apparently Sony was so aggressive in pursuing Playdead that Limbo almost never arrived and I really wanted to play it lol!

Also, @Gamer83 don't fall into the trap of believing that all exclusivity stems from payments to publishers. There are various business reasons for making the choice to publish exclusively with Sony or MS. No doubt industry politics has a part to play also. Look, I completely and totally agree with the notion of having passion for the PlayStation brand but your uninformed and artificial ranking of Sony behind Microsoft in the "scummiest" stakes is meaningless. I'll wager that you unintentionally use many brands that are much less ethical than either Sony or MS, and no, ignorance is never bliss when you're trying to wish a company into distant third place on the basis of business strategy that you may be misunderstanding.

I love all things PlayStation (exclusively lol!) but barring a very small minority of vocal Xbox fanboys I read much more and much worse language coming from the PlayStation gaming community than any other. If you don't believe me go checkout OXM to see how chilled out they are and hardly ever mention PlayStation. Even going back years to when ps3/xbox360 was in full swing the same pattern exists. PlayStation forum commenters, on balance, just seem to be way more argumentatively extreme. Seeing as that's the only community I'm part of that makes me sad. Lol, I almost wish I could keep the great PlayStation product and swap it with the more relaxed Xbox community.

Re: The Games Sony Picked for the PlayStation Now Beta Are Baffling

Shaolin

Just out of interest, what do you mean when you say, "we can't help but feel that a few of these choices are just a little bit odd"? Odd in what way?

I'll be honest, I can't say that those titles particularly struck me as being odd in any way but then again I don't have any preconceived vision of what the PlayStation Now Beta ought to be.

Re: Whoa, PS4 Software Sales Are Swiftly Outpacing the Xbox One in the UK

Shaolin

@Gamer83 @iSolipsistJudas @Wesker @Carl-G

You see the problem isn't whether there were more or worse Xbox louts back in the day. The issue here is that the vast majority of the PlayStation community is being encouraged to gloat and enjoy fanboyism in a way that Xbox publications never have or even do now.

I think gloating is silly and perhaps premature in any case. My parents (and I hope everyone else's parents) taught me that two wrongs don't make a right and I feel that advice is particularly relevant here.

Re: Microsoft Will Pay You to Dump Your PS3 for an Xbox One

Shaolin

I'm just thankful that Sony didn't try to compete by offering a discount scheme of their own. I've just read that the rating agency Moody's has downgraded Sony stock to junk status and they don't think that Sony will make as much profit as they did in 2010

http://www.zdnet.com/moodys-cuts-sonys-credit-rating-to-junk-7000025649/

So I think Sony is doing the responsible thing here and not trying to compete with discounts that it can't afford to make. Hey, It's not like people aren't already happy with the price of the ps4, hence their very witty response in the 2nd image above.

Re: Whoa, PS4 Software Sales Are Swiftly Outpacing the Xbox One in the UK

Shaolin

Please, please, please, I beg of you no more of these articles/posts. I have always been a PlayStation fan and have yet to own an Xbox but I am becoming a little disheartened when the PlayStation community is being encouraged by the media (including this website) to have chips on their shoulders. I hate to say it but I never remember Xbox fans ever being guided by the media against me or other PlayStation fans in quite the same way. Look it's not my intention to come on here and tell you guys how to write articles on your own website but just know that there are long time fans like myself who find these type of articles distasteful, I actually find it quite off putting. Is it too much to ask for PS4's sales achievement to be celebrated without having to even mention Xbox, like as if 4 million sales is only worth being happy about because it's more than Xbox. As an experiment I went to OXM's website and their journalists and community is so chilled out by comparison and it's rare to see the name "PS4" appear in their comments. It's like a dog in a back garden having a whale of a time running around and generally enjoying being outside - do you think the dog will stop enjoying itself to quizzically ponder whether it's having a better time than the dog next door?

Re: November NPD: PS4 Draws First Blood in North American Console War

Shaolin

The PS4 is an excellent product and I am very happy with it, very happy indeed.

What I'm not as enthusiastic about it is the rather juvenile comparison of console sales figures for Xbox & PS4. If people insist on going down the statistics road then surely it's game sales that matter more than console sales because that where they make more money.

Don't get me wrong, I want to buy more PS4 games but at the moment there seem to be fewer options for us on PlayStation. It seems like on Xbox, PC and WiiU there is a healthier selection of games to choose from this Christmas so I suspect that they will sell more games and generate more profit. But even figures like this don't interest me.

What I am very interested in is the new and wonderful things that I'll be able to do and play on my PS4 in the coming months. The best part about this is it's completely unrelated to how many Xboxes sell.

Re: You'll Be Playing Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes from 18th March

Shaolin

MGS was my favourite game series on PlayStation until I played Uncharted 2 which in my opinion is still the best adventure game I've ever played. I am extremely intrigued by the new direction MGS is headed in so count me in for this.

The bonus mission exclusivity doesn't bother me too much at all because I'm sure that the lion's share of fun and enjoyment will be coming from the main game itself. Yes, perhaps the Raiden mission does sound a bit more interesting than PSone skin but I've got to feel sympathy for the Xbox gamers who never got to play MGS1 or MGS4 so these things tend to all balance out at end of the day.

Re: Rumour: Sony Working on Touch Powered PS Move for PS4?

Shaolin

I thoroughly enjoyed using Move to play Killzone 3, Resistance 3, Ape Escape, and House of the Dead Overkill. I really hope that Sony can continue the innovation they started with the Move and also hope that their last minute decision not to include the PS Camera don't have too much of a bearing on their future plans for the Move.

Re: Pachter: November PS4 Sales Are 66 Per Cent Greater Than Xbox One

Shaolin

To be quite honest, ever since I cracked open my PS4 I've had the biggest smile on my face, even while waiting at the supermarket checkouts. The one thing I have not been doing is obsessing over how many Xboxes have sold like as if my enjoyment of the PS4 depended on it. You guys commenting on here seem to have been doing plenty of that for me and then some.

I remember hearing Apple's Tim Cook saying of the iPhone's competition with Android that winning for them isn't about bigger numbers.

Re: How Microsoft's Hostile Indie Policies Could Impact PS4

Shaolin

Oh come on guys, please not more of the anti Microsoft whining. PS4 is finally released and the future looks absolutely brilliant so why not let's celebrate and concentrate on that.

I'm a dedicated PlayStation-only fan and I love Sony's products but the aggressive attitude on here of many of the people who share my passion embarrasses me.

@get2sammyb I don't claim to be an expert regarding these things but surely what we're looking at here from MS is purely business. Also, if an increased number of devs follow Witch Beam's lead in declining to publish on Xbox then how can that be a bad thing for PS4 - surely we'll effectively get more non-timed exclusive indy titles?

Re: Rumour: PS4 Production Impaired by Poorly Treated Employees

Shaolin

Thank you Sammy for writing about this.

On the one hand I really feel for workers that seem to be under that sort of pressure to resort to crazy things like sabotage but on the other hand I really feel sorry for those poor souls that have their launch day spoilt (or maybe even Christmas day).

Overall, Sony have conducted an excellent launch for ps4 so I think it's unfortunate that alleged sabotage has come up at a time like this.

Re: No Fix for the PS4's 'Blue Light of Death' in Sight

Shaolin

@eliotgballade

To be honest, I don't like the banter because it all too often has descended downhill into a slanging match.

I'm a PlayStation fan so it always disappoints me when I come here and see a load of bad comments about Xbox. I'm sure there are plenty of Xbox fans that are very nice and I'm sure that X1 will be a very nice thing.... it's just not my thing that's all but I'm not going to talk like an absolute lunatic about xbox.

@Itachi What's the deal with you? Can't you use your energy to feel sorry for the real victims here, our fellow PS fans who have turned on their new consoles to the ultimate disappointment? Xbox fans have got nothing to do with that at all so why try to bring them into it and who cares whether the same thing happens to X1 - I know I don't. Gleefully predicting that the same thing will happen to X1 will do nothing for those poor souls who have had their launch day spoilt? Look, I know this comes across as being fairly hard hitting and it's not my intention to get people's back up but dude I beg you please chill with the Xbox thing.

Re: Microsoft Pats Sony on the Back for Successful PS4 Launch

Shaolin

Sony & Microsoft are such friendly partners in so many markets and you don't see them at each other in court nearly the same way as you do with Samsung & Apple. They have great business respect for each other - it's a shame that doesn't extend to some of their fanboys (and yes I do mean that about some of the people that comment on here as well as on other more vitriolic websites).

Re: Sony Unfazed by Isolated Instances of Faulty PS4 Consoles

Shaolin

@Lelouch

Come on let's not get derogatory about Microsoft customers - that's not necessary. The whole story about faulty PS4s came about because 2 Playstation competition winners and 2 game websites (one of which was IGN) had faulty consoles.

We should all be happy and positive at the moment - it's a great time to be alive. PS4 isn't even available yet where I am but I'm so excited that nothing's going to get me down. Peace!

Re: Sony Would Like to Give You Some Money for Buying a PS4

Shaolin

I think it's a really wonderful thing for Sony to offer this. I make it a point to never complain about free stuff - even if I'm not a direct beneficiary.

@get2sammyb So if they were to announce something similar for UK/Europe do you think it would be like £5 or €5 or something equivalent? I only ask because I'd be very surprised if they gave us £10 or €10 - I'd also be over the moon!

Re: PlayStation 4 May Well Be Make or Break for Struggling Sony

Shaolin

The commercial landscape is far more competitive nowadays with the likes of Samsung and Huawei attacking across a broad range of products and in various markets. In the past you could release a dud product and still make money but nowadays the market will punish you much more severely for those mistakes.

Sony will never disappear and the PlayStation brand will always be strong. Having said that, Sony needs to improve it's standing in order to retain its key talent and in order to obtain finance it needs for Research & Development on future products and services. Samsung is accumulating large cash reserves and is recruiting some unbelievable talent and it's this type of company that Sony will be concerned about right now.

Re: Sony Puts PS4's Suspend Feature on Hold Until After Launch

Shaolin

@Daryusp
I don't see this as being an issue. Having said that, like Daryusp, I suspect that ps4 was indeed rushed because of the lack of exclusives. I bought my all my previous playstations at launch for exclusive games (except ps1 which I didn't get at launch) but this time round I only see concentration on ps3 games instead. But no matter, those exclusives will come in time and be sweet.

Re: Rumour: Could DriveClub Be Racing Past Its Launch Release Date?

Shaolin

This is unfortunate news no doubt about it but it isn't the end of the world for ps4. At the very most it's a reason to delay buying a ps4 until 2014 when we'll be spoilt for choice with games.

What concerns me more are some of the commenters on here who always have to bring xbox into the conversation. Can't we just grow-up as a community and not talk about xbox or Titanfall??? I really enjoy coming here to celebrate all things ps4 and not to see people acting like a load of man-haters burning their bras. We're better than that and the ps4 is definitely better than that - so no need to bash xbox in a topic that doesn't even affect xbox. Remember, xbox doesn't need to fail for us as ps4 fans to win and enjoy ourselves.

Re: PlayStation App Will Facilitate Second Screen Experiences on PS4

Shaolin

I was thrilled to hear about this improved PS app!! The big thing for me is being able to tap out messages using the onscreen keyboard on a tablet which is much easier than writing messages using a dual shock controller. Apparently, you'll even be able to leave voice messages for friends so even faster & more convenient. My only hope is that the app doesn't continually require you to type in your PSN associated email address & password every 24 hours like the current app does. Oh and a landscape viewing mode on tablets would be great.

Re: Don't Worry, Killzone: Shadow Fall Will Have Dedicated Servers

Shaolin

Leaving xbox out of the equation for the moment (I don't come here to discuss them) I'm a bit disappointed to have later learnt that these so-called "dedicated servers" are merely the matchmaking servers that we've already had access to all these years on PSN. It seems that they are only dedicated at matchmaking but the crucial part is that the game doesn't run on the server which means that it still runs on one of the playstations. I really think we need to give Sony hell for this until they invest in their server infrastructure because truly dedicated servers make a big difference in multiplayer fairness (even in coop). I won't applaud Guerilla's misdirection here because if they fool people into thinking that they're giving a dedicated server experience then they may get away without ever doing it and I'd like to see proper dedicated servers used in playstation games.

Re: Reaction: Xbox One Delay Leaves the Door Ajar for PS4

Shaolin

@Reverend_Skeeve Thanks very much for welcoming me to the site - that's very kind of you and means a lot to me.

@buickmackane I tend to agree with your points - I think that both PlayStation & Xbox will always have their own large fanbases together with fellows like yourself who enjoy using both. I've aligned myself with PlayStation up till now but I'd like to think that I wouldn't be a traitor to my community if I ever wanted to try out an Xbox.

Re: Reaction: Xbox One Delay Leaves the Door Ajar for PS4

Shaolin

Hello All, this is my first post on here but I've been following this excellent blog for just under a year now. In that time I've kept coming back religiously for the jovial spirit and great insight on all matters of the PlayStation kind. I'm a self-confessed PlayStation fan you see

What made me decide to register and leave a comment after all this time? Well, it's just to leave some brief feedback really. I was prompted by buickmackane's posts and the responses to it. You see I love coming here to get my fix of Playstation news but recently I've started to find the mentions of Xbox matters to be a tad bit aggressive in a deathmatchy type way. It's a little bit intimidating for easy going folk like me who enjoy coming here to catch up with Playstaion gossip.

I totally understand if this blog is being angled to cater for those people who relish seeing a competitive head-to-head with Xbox but as someone who has never owned one it just seems a little bit belligerent, dare I say it, narrow minded?

Anyway, I hope this post doesn't come across as being too hard hitting especially as it's my first post. I do feel that this is a brilliant blog and Sammy is a great writer.