SteveButler2210

There was never any expectation that this game was going to be revolutionary, but if it's half as much fun to muck about in as the previous game, count me in!

I'd like to see mod support implemented somehow, as I vaguely remember there being some great mods put to hilarious effect in Just Cause 2 on PC!

Been a bit short on time again this weekend, so no PS4 for me, but I did make some good progress on Castlevania: SOTN, finishing it this morning with a completion of 193.6% - rather happy with that for a first run through, although no idea how I could've pushed it up to 200%!

Just getting cracking on Arc the Lad now, and hoping for a big RPG sale or similar to kick off this week in time for my holiday next week!!

Best party persons designs yet! Although some of the final form ones in P4G were pretty cool, like Yosuke's with the sun for an afro!

I had the Mega Drive port of the original when I was younger, but never got all that far. Still, this looks alright from what they've shown so far. Will have to have the right price tag though.

To be perfectly honest I don't care if they riddle it with microtransactions, they can be ignored, what is harder to ignore was the borderline non-existent story in Unity, especially compared to the earlier entries in the series (in particular the first 2 Ezio titles).

They can do what they like with the gameplay, some serious thought needs to go into fixing the stories going forwards. Black Flag was great, so they can definitely do it, they just need to sack whoever was in charge of that side of Unity. Also it would've been nice to have more variety in the environments, something which I imagine is going to be unfortunately missing from Syndicate.

NEXT...

@Kage_88 comments like this are why Push Square needs a like button

@darkswabber yeah Jawad left a few weeks back and they're in the process of finding his replacement, which is why the blog posts have been a bit haphazard. All the same, it would have been nice of them to at least put out a quick notice explaining it would be late and giving a rough ETA so we weren't left pointlessly checking the page :/

Hahahahahahaha wow. The comments really got out of hand there!

Seriously I'm perfectly happy with PS+ at the moment, can't wait to play SMB, Broken Age & Kickbeat. Every month there's always at least a couple things I'm interested in, and if I'm not then I'll give them a go anyway, some are really pleasant surprises!

And anyhow, I'm paying £40 a year for plus, and getting 72 games over that period as a result. It's crazy value whatever way you look at it. I'm pretty sure it used to be £30, and went up when it became mandatory for online play, so assuming at least a tenner of what you're paying is for your online priviliges, that puts the figures at around 42p per game.

Seriously, when you're getting 6 games a month for 42p each, you really can't complain regardless.

Also, inb4 "but you just made a forum thread complaining re the lack of an anniversary sale you hypocrite" - it is one thing to be mildly frustrated that a company with a fairly good approach to sales strangely didn't offer any discounts to mark a big occasion, it is another entirely to be entitled to the point that you get mad because that company isn't dishing out games to you for 42p each when they usually all retail for over £10.....

@get2sammyb where was my invite eh? I thought we were friends...

Edit: it is entirely possible I received an invite and missed it. Pretty sure I did get a message notification pop up while I was playing that I forgot to check...

Glad we've got no other accounts on the PS4! I had been thinking of setting up an account for my girlfriend so she can play stuff on her own saves - no chance now until this bug is squashed!

I have my PS1 sat next to the TV ready to go, but I don't have the right cable to connect it any more. I think I need to buy one. Right now.

Also @Quintumply Silent Bomber was ace! Only ever played it at a friend's house, so never saw past the early stages, but I'd love for that to get added to the PS Store!

@carlos82 so true, look at Croc, that game looks horrendous...

Well something seems to be happening - the PSN Blog EU is down for maintenance all of a sudden...

While it perhaps a little convoluted, I'm not entirely sure why people have such a problem with the way this has been handled. Overall, what it boils down to is you can wait and buy all of the game when it's ready, or pay less early to play through the first half of the game once development on that is completed.

That half of the game will still be "finished", and allows people to pay less money and get a taster of the game to see how they like it. Buying the two halves separately costs the same as a regular full price PS4 game (when you convert it to GBP at least), so it's not like the money should be an issue for people.

Also, releasing in this fashion allows earlier delivery of content to market for those who are keen to have it, as well as allowing them to actively tweak the remainder of the campaign based on feedback, which should surely ultimately enable them to deliver a better experience.

It's ultimately not all that different to any other episodic games out there, it's just split out slightly differently.

Will definitely give this a look in! The PS Blog linked to a Playstation Spotify playlist earlier today as well - https://open.spotify.com/user/playstation_music/playlist/3rcuieXJbXf7NiITFSS2cv

I've not had a look at the track list yet as can't access it at work, but could be worth a listen!

I don't mind the wait, as long as they could maintain a level of consistency.

Ditto for the store and sale updates as well. We used to always get them mid week, and I'm certain that a month or so back the store post started coming out on a Monday, with the sales update on Tuesdays, to bring it more in line with the US.

Since then, that seems to have gone by the wayside, as one now seems to come out on tuesdays and the other one pretty much whenever they feel like it!

The only thing I'd say is if they were to make a new Crash game they should make sure not to focus too much on the story and trying to make it stand up alongside things like Ratchet and Clank in that regard. The original trilogy were great because it was all about the gameplay, and everything else by and large took a back seat.

Although I've not played any of them to the same sort of degree as the originals, I remember everything outside of the original trilogy far less favourably.

Great review! Was hoping to see a little content related to the launch titles today - Wipeout next?

I've not played the original Rayman in years, but I remember really struggling to make headway with this round a friends house when I was younger. I feel like I should definitely go back and have another go now, seeing as it's a special occasion! I'll be rather disappointed if I can't beat it now, with all these added years of gaming "wisdom" behind me!!

@get2sammyb good shout. Might be worth giving that a news article of its own on the site now though, as there's no guarantee everyone will see your warning in the comments here!

I would argue that MG Rising isn't exactly the best example to keep people's hopes up for the series. While it was an alright game generally speaking, I didn't think it was all that great, and certainly not on a par with any other entry in the Metal Gear franchise!

This weekend was a bit of a slow one for me, as I had to fit in visiting family and friends, as well as commencing studies as I have just enrolled to take my maths a level next year - I've got 7 months to cover 2 years worth of topics and get to sit 6 exams in May/June, so finding time to game is going to be pretty tight this next few months!

I did, however, manage to start Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PSX) on the Vita. An oldy but I'm playing it for the first time and really enjoying it so far. Just gotten to the Long Library, and I have to say the soundtrack in the game so far is absolutely phenomenal! I just hope there is a relic that enables Alucard to run like you could at the very start of the game, as his slow movement frustrates me a tad!

That's annoying, I go on holiday on the 10th, and am 100% busy on the night of the 9th, so assuming that in all likelihood the servers are going to be bleeding under the strain of it all on the 8th I reckon I'll be lucky to get a game in at all!

Not surprising given the positive critical reception. I've still not picked TNO up yet, but as each of them costs around a tenner now I've been meaning to ask - what should I play first, The New Order or The Old Blood?

@get2sammyb should, but not necessarily would if last gen was anything to go by. Despite all the praise it got I wasn't a big fan of Paradise. I felt like the non-race modes weren't as enjoyable as they'd previously been, and the lack of local MP was really detrimental - all of the best Burnout memories I have revolve around multiplayer!

Hahaha brilliant. And it also reminded me of a more serious thing I was thinking about the other day............the lack of a decent Burnout game on the Vita!

Been playing NFS:MW on it recently, and the main thing I've thought throughout most of it is how much I wish that Burnout 3 was available on Vita!!

@darkswabber just getting the updates to come out at the same time each week would be a start. I'm sure the day the updates come out changed again this last week or two.

To be fair, I gather Jawad who usually looked after all this has left, and they're struggling a little to keep up while they find a replacement. All the same, you'd think they'd plan for that sort of thing!

Oh well, happy with my purchases anyhow - picked up Arc the Lad 1 and Castlevania SOTN (shameful that I've not yet played this) for now, but might pick up the other main Arc games if I enjoy 1. Also thinking about grabbing Hatoful Boyfriend and Terraria. I need a bigger Vita memory card...

OK sale from what they've detailed on the blog, but it is frustrating that they aren't putting the full lists on there. Hopefully the browser store has been updated now (it wasn't an hour or so ago) with the new deals!

EDIT: so even though the retro sale doesn't have it's own section yet (presumably incoming), you can check what's on offer by looking at the "Price Drops" section. Irritating though it is that they won't list them all in the blog post, I gotta say this is a good sale!

@themcnoisy thinking I will probably give Disgaea a second chance soon too. Tried the PSP version of the first one when I was younger, but struggled to get into it, unlike FF Tactics which had me from the get go.

Which would you recommend out of 3 or 4 for the Vita?

@gbanas92 ok that's good to know, I'd heard someone else say 12 hours - perhaps they were playing at half speed! How did you find the general performance outside of loading, did the graphics / frame rate hold up to scrutiny?

With the replay value as low as that I'll probably wait for it to go on sale, but I definitely still like the look of what I'm seeing so will make sure to keep my eye out for a price drop!

Nowt for me this week - no interest in Fifa, SOMA is a bit on the pricey side, and I already have all of the Curve games courtesy of PS+!

@gbanas92 seems really interesting, although the asking price is a little steep. Could you comment on the game length / replayability factors?

@kyleforrester87 yeah I figure I will probably get it, if only because paying £40 for everything released to date actually seems fair now, as there looks to now be enough content when you add it all up to stand as a "complete" release.

The revised game mechanics re levelling are a deal breaker for me as well. One of the main things putting me off previously was the thought that I could spend hours re-playing the same thing for potentially no reward whatsoever. I simply don't have time for that! It looks like the 2.0 changes have done a lot in the way of re-balancing to make the game more palatable for casual players, and for me that's a good thing - I've got way too much else I want to play to allow Destiny to take over entirely!!

For all the complaints I had about this game (as an outsider) in it's early days, I must say I am very tempted now that I can pay the same price day one adopters did but get all the additional content included!

I do feel very sorry for existing players re the pricing though, it's a disgusting slap in the face for people who've already paid so much. For just £2 more than existing players are having to pay for TTK, I can buy the legendary edition with all content to date from Amazon.

EDIT: or I could go to simplygames.com and pay less for the complete legendary edition than the standalone price of the expansion...

@kyleforrester87 Fallout 5 eh? Didn't know you had a time machine

@Johnnycide I enjoyed STFU and Xeodrifter - found La Mulana tough to get into but might go back to it at some point.

Despite all the praise it got, I've actually really not enjoyed the time I've spent on Grow Home so far. The frame rate has a tendency to noticeably dip, and the actual gameplay itself just isn't very interesting so far. I will play through to the end of it as it seems short, but yeah I definitely don't see what all the fuss was about.

I always look forward to the PS+ updates as I like getting shiny new things for my Vita. The rest tends not to get all that much of a look in though, especially with MGS V firmly lodged in my PS4!

@Fath ah but there is a time for everything my friend. Sometimes you want to eat the finest cuisine around, but other times you just need to eat some absolute rubbish of dubious origin, that's more greasy than a mechanic and will leave you guilt ridden for weeks (ok, seconds). There is no shame in that haha!

I've changed my mind. The best thing that could possibly happen here is for Konami to hand all the rights for Metal Gear over to Kojima, entirely free of charge, thus giving him full permission to carry on working on the series wherever he ends up working in the future. Not going to happen in a million years, but I reckon it would definitely be the ideal outcome!

@SKC_Diamond I wouldn't go that far, it's more likely a simple case of knowing how huge this game is going to be on release, so they quite literally can't afford not to have an open beta. Otherwise we'd more likely than not end up with a Driveclub-esque fiasco, smouldering servers and all!

@ToOGoodOfAPlaya yeah but there is already an unlockable Sniper Wolf costume for her to wear (complete with blonde hair) once you beat one of the later episodes, in spite of the bizarre plot point which suggests she shouldn't be able to wear it, so it'd be nice if these 2 are usable with her as well.

I think the best thing for the Metal Gear series would be to either go out graciously on a high note, OR have a decent company pick up the rights from Konami, re-hire Kojima and his team and let them carry on doing what they do best!

Oh man I wish we had Taco Bells here in the UK.

Not because I want the gold PS4 (although the game and PS+ would be nice). That Quesarito Big Box just looks reeeeeeeaaaaaaally good.....

"Consequentially, it's aiming to build the biggest entry yet in terms of play time."

Daunting, seeing as I've easily clocked 80-90 hours in P4G and still have a loooooong way to go until I get the platinum!

Bit miffed that the tux isn't in the game by default, as that has been a staple of every MGS since the beginning :/

Also, those horse armours aren't a patch on the Furicorn skin you can unlock in the base game!

Any idea if the EVA / The Boss skins are usable for Quiet?

@WanderingBullet yeah it's fantastic to see them finally solving the level design problem with dungeons. I loved P4G, but the dungeon design was appalling, even for a ps2 game!

@ztpayne7 maybe there will be an easter egg hunt, and a random egg worldwide will contain the release date...

Anyhow I don't mind the trailers but I'm not overly hyped about the game yet either. One of the biggest problems with modern Final Fantasy games has been that they are hung up on telling an emotional story, as evidenced by Tabata's repeated ramblings on the subject, but 90% of the time the writing is absolutely appalling which just totally ruins it. And even if the writing is good the acting can be terrible - I have wondered before about how we would look on some of the classic FFs if they had been fully acted (FF7 remake will be an interesting example). Those stories were brilliant, but there is so much in there where what sounds great when you read it in your head would probably instantly become cringeworthy and laughable when acted out properly!

Just found this article here - http://www.finalfantasy.net/xv/details-final-fantasy-xv-active-time-report-live-tokyo-game-show-2015-revealed/ - don't get your hopes up for the ATR.

Seems we'll be getting a recap of the stuff we've already seen, followed by another trailer made up of mostly old footage, then some absolutely pointless waffle which will probably last 15 minutes to attempt to get us emotionally invested in 2 characters (one of whom we know dies at the start of the game anyway). After that, we'll get approximately 10 seconds apiece of footage of chocobo riding and fishing, and then to close we get to spend 10 minutes listening to Tabata addressing the same questions that get asked every time, usually by saying he can't reveal any more at this point, or quite simply he just doesn't know.

If we're really lucky, they will finish by giving us a clue to the release date. The clue will likely be something along the lines of "FFXV will be releasing on a day of the month between 1 and 31"...

Checks 'Game Overview' section at top of page. "Cover Unavailable"...

FFXIV playable with VR??? Dear lord that's a dangerous combination - roll on the lawsuits when some idiot gets too absorbed in it and forgets to eat / drink / sleep...

EDIT: but also FFXIV VR sounds incredible. Sign me right up!!

@wagleton MGS deserves at least Episode 51, and maybe even a whole Chapter 3 as DLC! But it's Konami, so my expectations are pretty low here - I reckon all we'll get is ridiculously overpriced pay to win MP add-ons... :/

Oh well, at least some companies know how to treat their fans! Roll on November

Meh, nowt for me this week. Oh well, maybe there will be some decent deals tomorrow (although the deal of the week is pretty poor - GTA V at the same price it retails for elsewhere). Either way I'm pretty content with what I've got on my gaming plate at the moment!