Shepherd_Tallon

@JohntheRaptor The last info on this was that it will have difficulty options and enemies won't respawn on death. It's more of an action adventure game than an ARPG. Visuals and level design are similar to soulslikes, but other than that it will have little in common with them other than a lovely dark fantasy setting.

@Th3solution We were having this conversation in work too.
They've definitely placed an emphasis on third party single player games this gen. They've made it very easy and attractive for the devs to put those games on PS5 at least.
This gen reminds me of the PS1 days in a lot of ways - I bought a PS1 for Resident Evil and Final Fantasy. I only became a fan of first party studios in the PS2/PS3 era.

@Orishibu Technically it wasn't. They're choosing to release it on PS5 and PC only for now.
They've not said why they're not releasing on XBOX, but there's no exclusivity deal with Sony.

@Enuo 4.30am here. Couldn't sleep so I opened YouTube and saw that trailer.
Now I definitely can't sleep.
That combat is insane.

@StrickenBiged I think that's a good point. They've had two massive learning moments in 2024:

• What to do (Helldivers)
• What to not do (Concord)

@get2sammyb With the exception of Helldivers II, I think the only way they're going to find huge success they crave in live service in the short-term is with investments.
Bungie need time to get over themselves and nothing else seems to be working out from a first party perspective.

I was happy to see what PlayStation came up with out of all of this though. I figured if anyone is going to make an online game that's going to hold my attention it would be PlayStation.
And tbf, Helldivers II is one of my favourite games in years so in that regard I'm happy - 200+ hours in and I'm not bored 🤷
I also still think that online Horizon game Guerilla are still working on, if it's anything like Monster Hunter, it could be great. That universe would lend itself so well to that kind of game.

Part of me wonders though, if the Helldivers II success had come before this dash for 12 live service titles, would they have felt the need to make as big a push in that direction?

If there's going to be a remaster I'd rather see Survivor or Outbreak. RE 6 was my least favourite game in the entire franchise.

@species No that was someone who hasn't worked there for a few years.
McAllister is the Community Manager. He's a pretty chill dude.

@themightyant I was going to say the same, but now is the time for reaction, opinion pieces and speculation.
The weighted analysis will come later.

That said, in a month of guessing I'd never have picked Live Action God of War as a game that was in development.

Hopefully after all of this the focus turns to growing the likes of Helldivers and GT7. (Unless someone has a legit good idea for a live service that we don't know about yet of course.)

I'd be intrigued at least.
I played through the Tides of Time dozens of times back in the day. Used to love those games. I remember thinking the water graphics were amazing...

Finally making significant progress in Veilguard. I'm really enjoying it now.
I'll get back to Alan Wake II when I'm done with this.
And I've also gotten myself Armoured Core VI... There's no time.

Once I realised it was a feature and how much space it was taking up I switched it to just record the platinum trophies.

Freedom Wars. I couldn't give af about it. How dare Sony licence it to Bandai Namco and force me to buy it. I was going to use that money for food...

I'm convinced that there's a large number of hyper online (or as someone here recently said, "terminally online") people in the world atm who are so burned out by media and social media consumption that they don't know what they want anymore.
Nothing makes them happy, and they react to everything like it's a personal attack.

@dardel tbh when it's finally finished I'll probably pick up the inevitable boxset too.
I have the Deluxe versions and you're right, the artwork on the page is absolutely fantastic.

I'd bet all of my socks, like, all of them, that they buy another 5 - 10 percent in Kadokawa in 2026 - 2027. And just keep doing it that way until they're a majority share holder and they can start divesting the parts of it they don't want.
Kadokawa is the anime platinum mine.

@get2sammyb Definitely. They've gotten more money out of me this gen than ever before.

Unless that's sarcasm, in which case... they've still gotten more money out of me this gen than ever before.

I'll be interested to see the price.
If they get the rights to stuff like Berserk I might give it a go. Save me from digging out those big Berserk Deluxe volumes whenever I want to read them.

@Apollo2212 "Oh my cat just did a thing, sorry," is my go to response 😌

@Rich33 Yeah agreed, I think someone dropped the ball in a big way with the drives. They could be making a nice little sum off of them atm if they had planned it properly.
Someone definitely had a red face when that particular penny dropped.

"a special place in hell" 😂😂
This is why you always mute yourself in a boring meeting.
I didn't so much lol as snort when I read that.

Damn you, @get2sammyb!!!

@Matroska Did Sony state that they overestimated demand for the PS5 Pro?
The last I remember hearing was back in November when it was selling as well as the PS4 Pro, but the scalpers were gutted and losing money because there was a healthy supply in most stores.

@dschons There's an option to cycle them?
I either forgot about that or never noticed it. I need to play with it a bit more in that case.

I keep the info on mine minimal. Mostly I just use it for custom screenshots or that lovely PS5 Pro animated background.

Helldivers II and Dragon Age.
Alan Wake II will probably get a look at some point too.
atm though I'm just starting a Crunchyroll binge so I'll be playing on Portal at the same time.

It reads like a neutral response to me. He's not saying he's against it, just that he wouldn't do it for the sake of doing it. Only when it makes sense to do it.

Would love to see it happen.
Chronicles of Mystara would be the first game I return to.

@Northern_munkey Excellent. Good to hear. The next time I'm between games, that's what I'll do.

Need for Speed will do me. Been itching for some arcade driving chaos.

I hate coffee.
But I love tea.
I think the CEO of Nescafé is a scumbag for not focusing on tea.

I've been loving mine. It's gotten better and better since launch.
This time of year especially it's excellent. I love popping on a Christmas movie in the parents house and playing something offline with the subtitles on at the same time.

@dschons I have one friend who I play it with every now and then, but mostly I just drop into random people's games and help out.
Normally I wouldn't be into it either, but the veteran players are all fairly communicative and pretty tuned in to the objectives in Helldivers. The game is full of new and returning players atm too, and I've come across a few chaotic groups, but nobody yet who was intentionally trying to muck up a session. Just some players still learning where/when to call in an orbital barrage for example. (Not on the landing pad just before the evac lands 😂). It's all funny stuff when it goes wrong though.

I'm still playing Helldivers, but I'm focusing more on the Christmas games now too - Alan Wake II and Dragon Age. Loving both so far. Today will be my first chance to sit down and lose a day with them.

Just Helldivers this weekend, and catching up on some reading before Christmas.

I've been off work getting the backlog out of the way. I've ended up playing a lot of Helldivers over the past few weeks. I wanted to finally get all of my ship modules unlocked.
But Alan Wake 2 and Veilguard are under the tree. I'll be starting both of them on the 25th.

@Major_Player I don't know if spending a few hundred million means a deal fell through. They both clearly wanted a deal of some kind in the short term and this was the solution to whatever blockers they're currently facing.

Also, didn't Phil Spencer say during the ABK hearing that Sony should buy their own publisher? I'm not sure if any further developments in this deal would bother MS too much. They have their own plans.

Shrewd, I would say. The kind of move they would have made before the acquisition age.
It'll be interesting to see if Kadokawa starts to sell off various arms of the company now over the next few years...

Edit: Put Kings Field and Shadow Tower on Premium you cowards!

His frequent appearances on PlayStation Access do him no harm either. The guy is legit funny.

"However, choosing not to purchase the pack will be taken as proof you aren't a real Killzone fan."

Wait, who wrote this.... (Scrolls up) Ah, but of course 😂
Khayl's articles make me chuckle like 90s GamesMaster made me chuckle.
The spirit is alive and well.

@EddieGallad I believe "Flop" is referencing "Terraflops", not PS5 being a flop.

The D&D and Armoured Core episodes were pretty good.
Concord was interesting. Maybe that's what the game should have been.
The final episode was fun too.

I haven't watched the others yet.

Nice. I have this under the tree for Christmas Day. Very excited to play it finally.

Remember those spoiled kids from school who were never told no? The same ones who could never process maturely when stuff didn't go their way?
That's what this sounds like. (Assuming nothing is lost in translation of course.)

Helldivers and Behemoth for me when I'm not watching Christmas movies. Maybe I'll play some Dragon's Dogma II on Portal while I'm watching telly.

When that The Last of Us PC trailer was shown I saw so many people complain about how ND are creatively bankrupt and how they'll never make a new game again.
The internet is a wild ride sometimes.

Edit: Just realised product placement is what we're discussing. Okay. I guess it had to be something.

I said I wouldn't stay up for it all week, but man I'm glad I didn't listen to myself.
That was an epic show.

• Onimusha
• Intergalactic
• Helldivers update
• The Witcher IV
• Nightreign
• New game from genDesign
• Crimson Desert trailer

🫠

Delighted to see Astro win the big one too.

I'd love to see Rebirth or Astro get it, but it's probably going to be Balatro.

@JustCameHereToSay I reckon this is exactly how it wil go. I wouldn't be surprised either if some of the the Kadokawa studios go under Sony Pictures/Aniplex.

@dschons I'd be the same. The sense of presence in a fantasy landscape is enough to make me feel like I'm 13 and playing Kings Field or something again for the first time.

@dark_knightmare2 I did see one review earlier that gave it a 9 tbf.

I'm surprised by the low score. I'm still looking forward to playing but I'll adjust my expectations. I've been excited for this one since the reveal. I'll be starting it tonight or tomorrow.