Shepherd_Tallon

@Bizzy Yeah true. It remains one of my favourite LotR games.

@Bizzy I could never make it work. No matter what I tried it was either stretched or zoomed in. This was a good few years ago now and I haven't tried in a long time, but after that I said I'd wait for a remaster that will never come.

@naruball Was just about to say the same.

It's possible to play it on pc with the discs if you install some third party software and jump through some hoops, but I struggled to adjust the output for modern formats so it didn't look great.
There's always the 360 disc version too I suppose, but I'm not sure how that runs. I remember the pc version being fairly demanding at the time.

@ShogunRok Definitely.

I remember some cases where I wasn't sure if I was experiencing a bug or a weird design issue. Like going back to the main menu to switch between characters would create a new instance of the game, meaning you'd lose all of the gear you had been picking up for your previous character.

I wanted to love it because it felt like it should have been a nice 7/10 LotR title, but they slipped on the landing unfortunately.

Agreed with the article.
The original came at the end of that era of fun hack n slash LotR games, but I remember being disappointed because of some weird design issues around solo play.

"solo optimised" gives me some hope that it might be worth going back to.
Even so, it still feels like a case of "your milage may vary".

Your Local Time
Nice feature 👍Was that always there?

@Neuromancer I love this comment 👍
Couldn't have put it better.

• Marvel Tokon
• Mario Kart World

Have a good one! ✌️

@Stonecold730 Oh wow. You've just unlocked a memory I haven't thought of since probably 98/99.

It came out not long before Christmas right? My friend and I got it in January I think.
Everyone and their Ma wanted that game.

We have a client who launched a multiplatform game recently. At times on certain PC rigs the framerate would fall off a cliff. It was caused by the Steam overlay, but it never came up in testing, and I can promise you they put the work in.

@dv_xedge @Oram77 I remember a Gen X teacher telling me when I was a wee millennial that just because I have a big mouth and an opinion it doesn't mean I'm required to speak. Best advice I was ever given.

@get2sammyb "and Fans Won't Like It"

This is probably a lot to ask for, but would it be possible to have an extra tab at the top of the site for rumours and speculation?

I'm feeling my years when I say this, but under the News tab I just want fact based headlines with details in the articles.

I'd even pay the supporters sub again if I got something like that.

"We're entering this situation from a position of strength."

This is exactly what I say to myself every morning when I enter the bathroom if I've had a feed of Guinness the night before.

There are 10 games there for me 😶

Throws bank card into stove

Going to go see the new Spidey movie now.
After that, well I'm between games on PS5 atm while I wait for Tokon, so I'll be on Switch 2 this weekend.

Probably playing;

• Mario Kart World
• Super Mario Bros Wonder

I keep thinking, just drop the price for a week even and let the folks who want one get one. Then make bank on all of the software they'd buy.

tbf, I say that without knowing a thing about selling consoles. The prices increases have been hard to watch though.

But hey, at least they're not trying to buy football or something 🤷

@katamariUK That's the exact journey I had with Nioh 2. I burned out in the final area, took a break, then couldn't remember how to play.

I finished Nioh 3 just before Crimson Desert came out. I've been thinking about going back to it for a few weeks now to wrap up some of the remaining side content, but again I can't remember how to play it 😶

They make pretty good turntables tbf. I bought one of the previous models a few months back with an ULT Field 5 speaker. It sounds amazing.

Mario Kart and maaaaybe Mario Bros Wonder for me this weekend. Just killing time now until Tokon arrives.

@Boxmonkey I'd suggest yes. It's a very narrative heavy series. If you're only mildly interested just pop it on easy and tear through it.

@SodaPop6548 I think the retro stores will survive for another while yet. Most of the ones I see tend to be PS3 and earlier. And there's always going to be hardware for them to sell.

But eventually yeah, it's going to be tricky for most of them too.
There are ways around that though I suppose, like stocking retro collectibles etc.

Where I live there are no dedicated shops selling new games anymore. They all pulled out in the last 10 - 15 years.
I use a toyshop now when I want new games, and they rarely keep them in stock for very long.

@SodaPop6548 I'd second everything you've said in your post.

I wish physical was here to stay, but I know that sadly it's not.
I'll still enjoy my favourite hobby, and when I'm on holidays in future I'll make sure to always look for the retro game shops.

Digital ownership and a better PS Store are what I want to see next.

@AdamNovice Embrace it! Grow a beard and shave that head!!!

I think we'd safely assumed as much before she said it.

I'm more interested in knowing which of the other publishers have also given their staff strict guidelines about this topic.
I'm not on social media anymore, but maybe someone who's online regularly can answer - Have the Xbox, Nintendo etc social teams been trolling Sony over this every day, or even just championing physical media? (Genuinely curious)

@DennisReynolds I've been saying exactly this too.
All of the comments on YouTube and speculation on social media won't move the needle. And that's not the real fight either - We need to be contacting our local representatives and spamming them with questions about digital ownership.
If they can make Nintendo put a removeable battery in Switch 2, I'm sure if they wanted to they could fix digital ownership.

@Max_the_German I'm not so sure.
Sony have pulled the trigger first, but the other two are well on their way to doing the same. I'd be betting that Xbox, Nintendo and all of the big publishers are praying Sony don't back down. Capcom among them.

As @Wiceheid above me notes, Capcom's most valuable platform is PC. All digital.

(I hope I'm wrong, truly.)

@Oram77 Yeah exactly as you say - We need to sort out digital ownership.

Personally I still keep a walkman, discman, record player, MP3 player, and vcr/dvd/Blu-ray players. I love physical media and physical devices. Always have. Always will.
But even I can tell what way the wind is blowing. It's painfully obvious.

Digital ownership is what folks need to campaign for now. I don't even need something like the gog model (although I wouldn't say no!). But we need guarantees that when we purchase a licence to access content, that it can't be revoked.

In the morning;

• Dredge
• Moss: The Forgotten Relic (feels like it loses something in the switch from VR to flat but it's still a great little game)
• Denshattack!

Then bbq in the afternoon.

Enjoy the weekend!

Not 10 minutes ago I finished looking at the first two Halo Reach trailers. I had a dose of nostalgia and felt like looking them up for the first time in over a decade.

Christ all mighty that game was awesome. The trailers still give me chills. "You've got Spartans on the ground, sir. We're not going anywhere." 😌
Just rock solid fun with a good story and a multiplayer mode that kept me wishing I was good at PvP for months.

As I was watching them I was thinking that the path to redemption for Bungie has to be a single player campaign. Sony won't fund Destiny 3 because of the cost, so what else do Bungie do next?

A campaign with that excellent Marathon gameplay? Yes please.

Been a fan of X-Men since '92 when I first read X-Cutioner Song.
This is the most hyped I've been for any X-Men media outside of the comics ever. Can't wait to play this.

@Snackfood 100%
It looks made for Saturday afternoon Portal sessions.

Did I read somewhere recently that PS5 would technically be able to run some of the earlier PS3 games, but the mid to late gen PS3 games would cause it trouble? And the expectation is that all PS3 titles should be playable on PS6.

Did I dream that?

Edit: Found it - It was speculation from Digital Foundry.

@cainhurst94 I was the same too for years just because it felt like hassle when that many people can contact you in so many different places. You're never offline in that scenario. But the fomo would always drag me back every time I quit.

Then I saw the actual harm misinformation on social media could do first hand and I quit right away. I've never gone back since then.

"I'm not on social media, so that helps."
It really does. Deleting Twitter and Facebook are among the best decisions I've made.

I'm very excited for this game. From first-party only Wolverine is ahead of it for me.

That's a shame. I have both ordered together and I've been excited for the launch of Tokon.

It doesn't sound like a disaster at least. I can wait.

@8th_Observer I tend to agree with the point you're making. I'd rather have a polite conversation with someone I can't agree with than listen to someone make up false facts in aid of, or make assumptions trying to back up, a point I 100% agree with.

To be clear, I want physical media to last forever. I just don't want to listen to people who are falsely declaring things like Rockstar are cancelling marketing deals over the backlash simply because Sony rotated their PS Store banner to another game.
That's all counter productive and doesn't help.

I'd have loved if they'd given us some details with the announcement (that's been the most frustrating part for me), but something will be announced eventually. Then we'll know. And if I don't like what they announce I'll just buy third party games on Switch 2 where possible. (At least then some of my purchases might have some kind of after sale value.)

I was planning on playing the Granblue Fantasy Relink expansion, but I turned it on the other day and couldn't remember who anyone was or how any of the game's systems worked.

So I'm playing Dredge instead. Enjoying it a lot so far.

@get2sammyb This has been the issue for me - They didn't tell us what any of this would look like in 2028.

I understand their logic and I more or less accepted in the last year or two that this was all inevitable, but they should have told us what the plan for our discs is and what way the codes bought at retail will work.

I almost removed this one from my wishlist last week. Vindicatiooooooon!

All they'll do is give us a clearer picture of what buying games will look like in 2028.

• Will the retail codes be transferrable from one account to another? (Unlikely but I can hope)
• How do we play our old discs? (Hopefully at the very least there's an attachable drive.)
• Will there be a disc to digital option? (Unlikely if they can just sell us a drive.)
• Will PS Store stay the same or evolve in to something closer to Steam?

I'll be very surprised if they back down at this point.

Finally completed the play log in FF VII Rebirth the other day so I'm doing a fun run through Resident Evil Requiem this weekend before I go back to Crimson Desert. I'm trying to finish it before Marvel: Tokon lands.
I'm off work until the 14th. I have no excuse for not getting to the end of the story at least.

@Gryffin We don't actually know the details yet.

For example, "It also eliminates the ability for consumers to sell software or trade it in." This is highly likely but we don't know that for certain right now. We don't know what the boxed codes sold at retail will look like atm.

Once all of the details are actually known, then expect the consumer rights lawyers to roll in.

Final Fantasy VII Revelation - Episode: Advent Children?

@NerdyPaul Absolutely. A nice little disc drive to plug in to my PS6 is all I'm asking for at this point.

@Anthony_Daniels No you didn't dream it. Codes will be sold at retail too.

@Titntin I've been thinking this too - If retailers are still going to be able to stock cases with codes inside I won't be surprised if we see codes popping up in various online stores like CDKEYs/Loaded etc too.

Won't it be the second four-figure console? The next Xbox will apparently be even more expensive.

I'm going with cautiously optimistic until I hear what their plans for backwards compatibility are. We don't know anything about that yet 🤷

@lui709 These are my sentiments too.

I've accepted that it's happening and I'm not quitting console gaming, but they need to tell us how we're going to play our old discs.

Either a drive or disc to digital. Either or would work for me.

"A Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls gameplay trailer, detailing the moves and combos of Iron-Man, also went out on the fighter’s official account – but not the PlayStation one."
They skipped the Ms Marvel one last week too. I don't think this is related.

But everything else, yeah it feels like they've ran for the hills.

I have myself half convinced that the announcement today is just testing the waters, and tomorrow they'll do a temporary U-turn like they did a few years back with the legacy storefronts.
"Oh we didn't think you'd all get this mad. Okay we're cool so we'll back down. But PS7 is definitely going all digital 😌."

@themightyant This was my thinking too, that PS7 would be the one to kill physical media.