Comments 48

Re: PS5's Biggest Game Fortnite Accused of Using AI Art

Splash_Woman

I would personally push back against the thought that we have to "get used to AI" when it's used in a context like this. I feel like at this point if you're not bothered by AI use, I'm not going to change your mind. But if you ARE, then don't let something as small as these background posters slip past you. I'm a fan of the movie "Late Night with the Devil", which infamously used AI to a similar degree as this in some of its art. Though I was skeptical I still accepted it, as it seemed the production was barely scraping together the means to make the film at all, let alone do the transition card art properly. (Whether that's true or not, that's at least the justification my mind ran with.) But now here we are, and as mentioned in the article: if Fortnite of all things can't be bothered to pay a human to do this, then where does that leave the future? So for me, yes, there is a line. THIS is the line. Between this and the Banana Fish dub, it's been a rough week for the creative endeavors of the human race. If you still care at all about letting your voice be heard, then please...let it be heard while it still can be. Yeah, generative AI is going to win. Yeah, this is the future. But we don't need to be polite about being escorted there. This is pathetic and shameful.

Re: Going Platinum #1: Rocket League

Splash_Woman

My very first platinum came from the PS3 rerelease of God of War, all the way back in December of 2009. I just now realized while typing this that that's only two months after I started dating my eventual spouse, and 81 platinums later we're still going strong!

I think that's my favorite thing about trophies. It's not about collecting the valueless NFTs, or about the satisfying chimes whenever you takedown 50 enemies with a boomerang or whatever. The best thing for me is scrolling down the list, looking at the dates of my various digital accomplishments and letting my memories of the game take me back to the memories of my life that surrounded my playtime. It's like journaling, but with less details and more fun!

Re: New Report Finds Almost Half of US Kids Are After In-Game Currency for Christmas

Splash_Woman

I've tried to do my best to keep my daughter away from anything containing even trace amounts of microtransactions. Nintendo games, Astro Bot, Kingdom Hearts, reading actual books, playing with sticks, throwing rocks at trains. But she's still been hinting over the past few weeks that "a LOT of my friends are playing Roblox..." I don't think I'll ever cave to something like Roblox, but I've made declarations like that before about other things. Not to mention someday she'll be old enough to make her own decisions, and I really fear those decisions will inevitably lead to battle pass roddled slop. It makes me sick, but this is where we're headed. I'll just enjoy her F2P free life while I still can.

Re: GTA 6 Delayed Again, Pushed Back to November 2026

Splash_Woman

Oh wow, I am so...uh... (checks script) surprised this happened.

I predict one of two things:

1. They'll want that sweet holiday season money and will release on time. It'll be full of bugs and we'll have another Cyberpunk 2077 situation on our hands for a few months until it's patched.

2. They'll be smart and it'll come out in March 2027.

Honestly, it's a coin toss at this point.

Re: Persona 6 Gets an Official Mention in New Atlus Survey

Splash_Woman

There's still plenty of milk left to squeeze out of the current cows before P6 rolls around:

Persona 4 Revival
Persona 3 FeReload
Persona 4 Golden Revival
Persona 5 Arena
Persona 5 Arena Ultimax
Persona 5 Strikers Royal
Persona 5 Tactica Royal
Persona 5 Royally Dancing in Starlight
Persona 3 Dancing in Reloaded Moonlight
Persona Q2 New Social Media Arcade
Persona 5 Tax Software
Persona 4 in Gacha World
Persona 1+2 Re (Whoops, that one's cancelled)
Persona 5 Leblanc Simulator
Persona 4 Leisure Suit Teddy
Persona 5 Morgana Did a Stinky in the Litter Box
Persona 3 Arena ExtremaxFES
Persona 5 20th Anniversary Edition

So it'll be awhile.

Re: Talking Point: Are You Getting Sick of Sony's Supposedly 'Samey' Approach to Story Telling?

Splash_Woman

I wouldn't say the article is correct, but I also see how they probably feel that way, and it's a matter of perspective combined with their personal preferences. It's no secret that Playstation Studios' output has been thinner in recent years than in the past, understandably due to the increased cost and complexity of creating games compared to years past. That doesn't mean the total number of games coming out in general has slowed, and humans don't exactly have the alleged memories of elephants over here. So when a game about revenge comes out, you think about TLoU 2, which makes you think about sad dads, which makes you think about GoW, and "ugh, is Sony doing this AGAIN!? Stop it already!" And it's been a bit since the last time you played a PS Studios game, and...gosh, you played SO many games since then, what was it again? "I don't know, all I know is I'm tired of all these vengeful sad dads!"

So I don't agree, but I understand how the opinion could be formed.

Re: New PlayStation Rewards Program to Offer Exclusive Merch, Starts Today

Splash_Woman

I really do unironically love the idea of unlocking something physical for getting a platinum trophy. It sounds neat. I would even be willing to front the shipping cost out of my pocket, like the My Nintendo Rewards program. I'd pay $6 to have a shirt and pin sent to me, sure.

......but $55? Plus shipping, so over $60? Practically no one is going to go for this, so it will be shut down within a year and a half. Which honestly makes me sad, because again: it's a neat idea! Just...really, really, REALLY poorly thought out.

Re: Poll: Did You Buy a PS1 at Launch?

Splash_Woman

I was more of a Nintendo kid at the time (emphasis on kid) so I didn't get one at launch. I actually don't remember when or why I got one exactly; back then it was usually a specific exclusive game that I wanted which pushed my parents into buying a console (Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, and Sonic & Knuckles being the big ones that come to mind), but I don't ever remember longing for a PS1 game before I had the console itself. In any case, I'm old!

Re: Mina the Hollower May Be Inspired by Game Boy Color, But You'll Be Able to Play It on PS5

Splash_Woman

I always get frustrated when horror/horror-adjacent games get released ON Halloween. Like, I get it, but I'm not going to sit and binge a game on Halloween of all days, which means I'm half a month out of "spooky season" and making my Christmas shopping list while still playing a game about graveyards and skeletons. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but I'd much rather play a game like this in the lead up to Halloween than the aftermath.

Anyways, I've had my eye on this for ages. Whatever the release date, I'm still super excited!

Re: Will GTA 6 Be Delayed Again? CEO Plays It Safe with His Answer

Splash_Woman

The game will be out on time, just not THAT time, and it will exceed expectations, just not OUR expectations

My guess is September-ish 2026, with at least one headline reading, "GTA VI seems to be off to a strong start with X units sold, but falls short of company expectations by a considerable margin", followed by "Rockstar lays off X employees in latest industry purge".

Not that I think the game will be bad by any means, but realistically, with the state of the world (economically, politically, the "age verification" of it all) and the ginormous success of GTA V, there's no way they can match whatever goals their accounting department has cooked up over the years.

Re: 'Aw, Nah! This Ain't Happenin'!': SEGA on Potential PS5 Sonic Adventure Remasters

Splash_Woman

But, like...I don't need it to be a remake though? I understand that the Sonic Adventure games are hot messes that have aged like milk and are now only fueled by nostalgia and Crush 40, but that doesn't mean people (I) wouldn't buy them if they just rereleased them "as is". (Gestures at the Sonic franchise) it's not exactly like we're dealing with a series that's a bastion of quality here.

Re: Yes, Death Stranding Is Getting an Anime As Well

Splash_Woman

Now we just need the "early childhood edutainment" adaptation and we'll be set!

"How many containers do YOU think Sam can carry?"

(Long pause for kids to yell out the answer)

"That's right! None! Because the totality of the chiral network failure between the knots has resulted in a repatriation from which Sam is unable to return, though this does suggest deterioration of the beach from which the death stranding originated!

Now for today's color: sadness!"

Re: Fortnite's AI Voiced Darth Vader Is Causing More Chaos in the Games Industry

Splash_Woman

When AI was used to recreate James Earl Jones' voice for the Obi Wan series, it was Hayden Christensen's performance under the hood, with AI being used to alter the sound of his voice. This is one thing, and not a bad thing at all as far as I'm concerned, especially since James Earl Jones signed off on it.

Chat bots are an entirely different beast.

Technology is ever evolving. Twenty years ago, none of us could have ever imagined we could hold a conversation with our phones, at least not a natural one. Any response would have needed to be created individually, performed by a human and activated by a specific prompt. "What is the weather like today?" Prerecorded prompt: "The weather is" pause to check weather and find audio file "76 degrees." Now you could ask the weather and an AI chat bot will go into the intricacies of how barometric pressure made the weather what it is specific to your area at that time.

It's not a bad advancement, per say, but twenty years ago it would have been an unexpected one. Likewise, twenty years from now we'll have something else we never could have expected.

Can we say that James Earl Jones is comfortable having his performance as Darth Vader used for this theoretical technology? Of course not. Likewise, a chatbot like this can't have been what he was thinking of when he signed away his voice.

SAG isn't trying to be greedy, or trying to get a piece of that sweet posthumous VA pie. They're thinking about the future, which is something not nearly enough people do.

Re: Gacha Spin-Off Persona 5: The Phantom X Skips PS5 for Worldwide Launch

Splash_Woman

I wonder just how predatory the gacha mechanics are in this game. If it's primarily cosmetics and the story can be enjoyed without splurging that's one thing, but if purchases are required to advance...

Oh, who am I kidding, it's Persona so I'll play it regardless. Here's hoping I can stay more in the "guppy" range rather than going full whale.

Re: Poll: Are You Hyped for GTA 6 After Trailer 2?

Splash_Woman

My hype's still at "wait for reviews/impressions and then we'll see". Obviously the trailer makes it look beautiful, and it's Rockstar so there's little doubt in my mind that it won't be a 10/10 game. But it's been over a decade since V came out, and my tastes across the board have changed considerably since then, in terms of gameplay, content, and storytelling. So it's not a question of "will it be good?" Obviously it will. Rather it's "Is this for me?" The trailers have yet to sell me on it being the next big thing that I, specifically, will enjoy.

Re: Best Capcom Games on PS5

Splash_Woman

Wow, I can't believe there have only been 10 Capcom games on PS5, many of which are simply PS4 ports. No judgment on their quality, it's a GREAT list, but...only 10!?

I've only played the Residents Evil and DMC, but of those the ranking seems about right to me!

Re: Until Dawn Game Writers Aren't in the Movie's Credits, and Some Aren't Happy About It

Splash_Woman

I'm on both sides. Having seen the movie, there's not a single piece of narrative connective tissue between the two. Unlike others, I had a good time with the movie, thought it was okay but not great, and have no problems with its massive divergence, but yeah...there's essentially no similarities.

But I would expect at least a "Special Thanks" shout out, or better yet a "Based on characters created by", seeing as Dr. Hill features prominently and there's a few blink-and-you'll-miss-it references to other characters from the game. Sure, the studio didn't necessarily do anything wrong by not mentioning them, but it's not a great look either.

Re: Hands On: Oblivion Remastered Is Still Oblivion in All Its Glory, Crap Frame Rate Aside

Splash_Woman

So far I've had a couple endless loading screens, a glitched quest, bugged map markers, pop in galore, chugging frame rate, and NPCs that only seem to have a tenuous grasp on the reality around them. Any other game and I would be moving on to other things until they tried again with a patch. But for Elder Scrolls? "Yeah...sounds about right, carry on. Just three more hours, then I'll head to bed!"

Re: Death Stranding Celebrates 20 Million Players Milestone as PS5 Sequel Approaches

Splash_Woman

I just finished a second playthrough, this time the Director's Cut after finishing the PS4 version at launch. I, too, am one of the weirdos who completely clicked with just about everything this game was selling; who knew Post-apocalyptic UPS Simulator was not only something that could exist but also something I needed in my life! I wonder if, since I played two versions, I count as 1 porter or 2. Either way, keep on keeping on everyone!

Re: Silent Hill F's Content Warning Demands a Strong Stomach

Splash_Woman

I like the warning. The older I get the more I feel the need to know exactly what I'm getting myself into when I watch a horror movie. Not spoilers or anything, just stuff like "are any kids brutally murdered?" "How miserable are the depictions of violence?" "Jump scares or no jump scares?" Not all horror is created equal, and while I still consider myself a fan of horror I'm far more picky than I used to be and there's certain elements I would rather stay away from. So far this seems like a go, though the child abuse is a red flag and I'll want to know just how agonizing the torture is.

Re: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Release Date Leaked on PS Store

Splash_Woman

I'm not NOT excited, but as a pretty big fan of MGS3 I don't see this as being quite different enough to justify it's own existence. I hope I'm wrong, and I'm kidding myself if I say I'm not going to play it and probably love it, but as others have said: MGS3 (and, well, let's face it: ALL MGS games besides maybe 5 and arguably Peace Walker) hasn't aged well. The bones of the thing are there, begging for a complete overhaul that makes it feel as fresh and fun as when it came out 20 years ago, but this really feels like a fresh coat of paint on something where the paint job wasn't the problem in the first place.