Been trophy hunting since the first Uncharted patched trophies in back in '09 I think. I don't do stuff like this, I have a more smooth and steady wins the race mentality I guess. Closing in on 200 platinums- all games I wanted to play, no shovelware to pad the numbers. Keep in mind that those were stretched out over 15 years though.
I've received a lot of crap about it from nearly everyone in my life. "Why do you care?" " Why do you do that?"
Well, my best answer is I was pretty OCD about 100% completion in games long before trophies existed, so it more complimented how I already played games (get all the collectibles, kill the secret boss, etc.). Plus, even for not so great games, I feel somewhat compelled to see everything in the game, because I know each little bit took a lot of work. Sort of an homage to the devs in a weird way.
I work 60 hours a week, have a lot of other obligations on top. Trophy hunting is my stress reliever. All these "no life" comments make me scratch my head. It's just fun. I know it doesn't mean anything but it's cool to me to have an inventory of my game achievements and a meta aspect to gaming scratches my compulsive itch like no other.
I think something people do forget also is trophies were initially pitched as a component of Playstation Home, Sony's weird second life app on PS3. Originally, the plan was to be able to display your trophies in your digital apartment. A cool idea that sadly was never implemented. Luckily, the trophy system took on a life of its own. And here we are.
What I would really love is a system-level trophy leaderboard like Xbox has.
Yes, couldn't agree more. I know the argument is they can do both GaaS and single player, then everyone is happy, but I really still don't buy that. One comes at the cost of the other. I mean, I don't think the Sony 2024 first party drought and the push for live service happening at pretty much the exact same time is any kind of coincidence - I believe there is a strong causal relationship there.
They really need to figure out how they want to proceed going forward. Look, I've never spent 20 bucks on a skin, ever. So I guess there's less money short term if they pursue me as a target market. But I - have - bought every Sony first party game they've released so far, even the re-releases (Concord being the one and only exception). Bought every piece of hardware. That's us, the "hardcore" market (hate the term). It's less money up front because we aren't engaging with the digital casinos masquerading as games, but we are more reliable and longer term customers. I feel Sony's new approach is bad business focusing too much on short term.
I did forget, I got Rebirth at launch so I guess it was 4. I definitely will pick up Wukong at some point! Stellar Blade, Dragon's Dogma, and a few others are interesting, but I just haven't felt the need to pull the trigger on those.
Being a big horror buff, I'm very excited about Silent Hill 2 and the physical release of Alan Wake 2. So the tail end of the year is packed for me too.
Besides that, definitely some strong indie showings. Balatro was awesome. Dredge and Cult of the Lamb had some new DLC. The Prince of Persia game and, surprisingly, Contra: Operation Galuga brought it home as well. Then the Microsoft releases, Pentiment and Hi Fi Rush. So the indie scene has been strong and saved the year for me. AAA releases I've mostly dodged.
Now that I'm taking a mental inventory, I think I just like indie games better these days 😆. But definitely excited for Astrobot.
Wow, you said it better than I could've. I'm not saying I represent the average gamer, but I am lucky enough to have a decent amount of discretionary income to spend. But there just isn't that much I'm interested in. In years past, I would buy 25-40 games. This year? I have purchased three day one releases - Tekken 8, Baldur's Gate 3, and now Astro Bot. That's it.
These publishers aren't making anything I want. Too busy chasing Fortnight money. You, me, your friend group you mentioned - we are the long money. The Fortnight / Apex Legends kids, they are fly by night. Big profits up front but it's not long term, they'll go to the next big thing tomorrow or the next day.
These big publishers are all gonna get a huge wake up call in the next 10 years when they have to pivot and desperately try to claw back the aging hardcore crowd they threw away so their CEOs could get bigger bonuses. Looks like Ubisoft is getting theirs early.
The odd thing is everyone at Sony knew this was coming months ago. They had the preorder numbers well in advance and would have known this game was on track to bomb spectacularly.
Explains the limited marketing in the lead up to release. Firewalk was ominously quiet before the game's launch. They already knew what was about to happen.
Played for the first time yesterday. This game plays a weird trick on my mind because essentially you are not even pushing any buttons, just moving around. And it's really damn fun.
So I'm starting to question myself and how I consume entertainment. It is barely interactive. And I love it. The graphics are terrible. And I love it. I can't get too introspective about it though or try to dissect why it is fun, it just is.
Actually, based on PSNProfiles user data, the 15,000 sales on PS5 estimate lines up very closely with the trophy data.
PSNProfiles tracks roughly only 10% of active players. (We actually know this is pretty accurate based on comparing a game with known sales to how many registered users on PSNProfiles have played the game - it usually comes pretty close to 10%).
PSNProfiles lists Concord as having 1258 PS5 players currently - we can extrapolate approximately 13,000 sales then.
If accurate, this would be the worst performing AAA release in modern gaming history.
Agreed Sony playing all it's cards so close to its chest, refusing to engage with the audience, is gonna result in more pushback with each individual flop. People have short memories. Give them something shiny to look forward to, and they won't get out the pitchforks when they see something they don't like.
Alright, I'm probably making connections where they don't exist, but the fact they featured the flamethrower in the trailer almost seems like a reference to Helldivers 2 recent flamethrower nerf controversy.
I think that sort of talk comes from two broad eras - first, the release of the PS3 after the absolute dominance of the PS2. Specifically, the $600 price tag on launch. That is a part of Sony's history that will never leave the Playstation fanbase's collective memory. That 600 price tag was absolutely devastating and nobody ever really forgot. Caused a big shakeup internally within Sony among the upper executives and among their customers as well. That was 18 years ago now.
The second is the current era we are in now. After the runaway success of the PS4, and right about 2 years prior to the launch of the PS5, Sony became weird. Not sure what happened, but the current discourse online (for what that's worth) is the Playstation division suddenly became reclusive, distant and uncommunicative with its fans and the media, which coincided with a new push towards higher prices across the board. While Sony has always been a business, their PR was previously pretty effective at suspending your disbelief. Now, you can't help but be reminded Sony is a soulless corporation at every turn. Jim Ryan didn't help that perception much.
Basically, the Playstation division has shown a pattern of achieving a big success, followed by some perceived overreach or strategic blunder. I think Sony has always tried to position itself as a boutique brand with prices to match, but they don't always have the cachet to demand those higher prices. And every time they are in a position to raise prices, they do - every time, whether it is warranted or not. Hence all the "Sony is arrogant" comments. But hey, that's every business on the planet.
My personal take is Sony has pretty much shed the wool at this point and just discarded everything that wasn't related to their core business enterprise. Dropped out of every gaming trade show (their in-house Showcase presentations almost always miss the mark), announced the PS5 extremely late and in a Wired magazine article of all things, followed by a weird Mark Cerny presentation. They raised the price of the PS5 retroactively in most regions, led the way in a price increase for games to $70, abandoned exclusives for extra PC sales, have almost entirely eliminated their AA development teams in favor of a very limited selection of genres and a stated focus on live service, as well as maintained an egregiously long period of cross-platform releases on the PS4 which has this far stunted the PS5's potential... In summary, it's starting to really feel like a company run by accountants (It always has been, they just were better at hiding it in the past).
My anecdotal take is people who jumped in around PS4 don't really get the animosity towards Sony, while people who started with the PS1 argue this is the worst Playstation generation by far. I'm in the second camp. But then again, maybe we are just old and grouchy.
As the 'Official Decider of Internet Opinion' (You may bow but you don't have to), I have pre-authorized the opinion Concord will be a poor quality game in this Internet comment section. You must have missed the email I sent out.
@naruball, trying to police opinion on the internet without the proper authorizations is a grave offense. You are not allowed, you haven't taken the one week online course. This is a heavy burden we opinion police bear. Unfortunately I have no choice but to bestow the maximum penalty: you will be required to play Concord. I take no pleasure in this.
It's their game, I respect their right to balance according to their own design philosophy. Their strategy of "nerf anything that gets used a lot" is an interesting choice for a PvE game, but hey it's their call.
For my part, I dropped the game mostly because of the nerfs. No review bombing or any foolishness like that, I'm just not gonna play it anymore. There are so many options competing for my free time, I'm not gonna play something I don't find fun. Pretty much the long and short of it. RIP railgun.
I remember logging in one day to find out they drastically nerfed my entire specific setup. Like, each individual weapon. Then there was a "bug" that simultaneously increased the spawn rate of armored enemies. People were just running around the map, not shooting or playing the objectives. Just running around like chickens with their heads cut off from giant spiders. Because they nerfed the only viable (at the time) anti armor options. Because too many players were using them. I guess that's what they call balance.
Wish them the best of luck in their holy quest for absolute, pure balance in a game against AI opponents.
Yeah there is some overlap in the digital versus physical sales breakdowns that undercounts physical sales. I put a low-end estimate in my comment because I didn't want anyone to say I was inflating the numbers to make a point.
But to be honest even a 5 percent drop in sales is catastrophicly large. We are talking in the region of 20, 30, maybe even 40 or more percent here. Why did they do that.
First to clarify, I like Remedy as a company. It wasn't Remedy who did this, it was their publisher, Epic. They said it was a cost cutting measure. That was in fact a 100%, verifiable lie. It was a DRM measure probably meant to fight used game sales. I guess they undercounted how much they'd lose in sales at the end of the day, versus how much they'd gain in preventing used sales. Turned out to be a net negative for them it seems.
I do not appreciate companies doing this, but digital age and all that, ya gotta go with the punches. What I really don't like is a company lying about it, dressing it up as "cutting costs" for the consumer. They assume we are idiots.
I'll continue to not purchase any AAA game that doesn't release physically. I have nothing against people who are all about digital, but it's just not for me.
Might be an unpopular opinion, but Arrowhead should cool it with this machine gun volley of balance patch after balance patch, each wildly shifting the meta game and sending players searching for a new loadout each time.
It's a PvE game, it doesn't need perfect balance. It needs to be fun. PvP, yeah I get that needs constant balancing. This is strictly PvE.
Signed, someone who ditched the game after they nerfed virtually every piece of equipment I used at one point or another. Went from being able to do level 9 difficulty down to lvl 6 overnight. Forced myself to relearn the game to a degree. Then it happened again. Then again. Wasn't fun for me.
They cut themselves out of a huge chunk of sales by declining to release a physical edition, going off of the rough estimate around 20 - 25% of purchases are still physical. Bonkers decision for a AAA title.
Good thing they finally came around on the whole physical edition thing. Can't wait to play the game in October.
The sole benefit of this will be reading funny reviews for terrible games. I still read Steam store reviews for entertainment; the Gollum game reviews are a good time.
A couple places do custom Dualsense designs and there are some variations of the classic PS1 controller look. They are expensive as all heck, but they look amazing.
This is hilarious. The first print run they shadow dropped at like 2 am, which sold out in all of 2 hours in the US, was selling at 800 DOLLARS a copy, USED within a week of release.
I feel bad for whoever paid that price, almost. I've been following this game on eBay and copies routinely go for $750+ a copy in bidding. A new copy sold yesterday for $1000.00. Welp, I guess the party is over for the scalpers.
Very welcome news! Thank you Square.
EDIT: Checked reseller sites. New copies all over the place selling for $200-300. Bout a thousand dollar drop in 12 hours. I love it when scalpers lose.
I was really disappointed when Bloober was revealed to be working on this. But I'll say their games aren't bad, just sorta average. The bigger issue though isn't their average output, it's more the type of horror they do isn't really in the same category as Silent Hill.
Well what can you do. Expect the worst, hope for the best I suppose.
Well we had Silent Hill Ascension which was a crime against humanity and The Short Message, which kicked a puppy off a bridge, metaphorically speaking.
Soooo... Honestly, the bar is pretty low. I'd settle for a passable game. I'm not expecting miracles from Bloober.
I am excited for Silent Hill Townfall though as the developer (No Code) seems like they are compatible with the type of psychological horror the originals are known for, based on their previous games.
Same, got the platinum for the first game, really enjoyed it. Ended up turning off the weird public domain music and playing Spotify in the background - worked like a charm.
Now that's certainly a... trailer. A man fondling his beat up derby car like a long lost lover while making allusions to domestic violence and how he won't lose his temper again. Definitely, uh, creative.
Not seeing the need for a remake/remaster of a PS4 game (even though I really like Until Dawn). It's a little too recent for the remake treatment, especially considering you can just play the PS4 version of Until Dawn on PS5.
It felt strange for The Last of Us, it feels even weirder for this game. Only PS4 game I would like to see a re-release for is Bloodborne.
Wait this is the same guy that misplaced a flashdrive full of porn in his office or something... Also does magic tricks at children's birthday parties I believe. I'm not saying he's a serial killer, but I'm not NOT saying that either.
Yeah, I'm sure the game will be game of the year material as long as they keep all that Gen Z humor in there that was such a hit in Borderlands 3.
You ain't wrong, PS3 collecting is getting a bit pricy. I know people don't like the constant re-releases, but it brings old games back into the conversation and it's a good option for most people who don't have these older systems.
Plus, always the possibility we get a physical release on modern systems.
Investors - both of the institutional and speculator varieties - are complete and utter morons with no knowledge of how anything really works in the industry and are the fundamental cause of pretty much every gross practice going on today. They know ROIs, market caps, and share prices, but they generally have close to zero intimate knowledge of what they are investing in beyond the standard financial stats. Bunch of idiot geese flocking from one thing to the next.
And these people call the shots. The decisions that Sony, Microsoft, etc. make are geared more towards these people than the consumers. God help us.
All these years later, I'm still in denial about the Vita situation. I have two I still use currently. There is a pattern emerging regarding their support (or lack thereof) for anything that isn't their flagship hardware.
To be honest, I'm not too psyched about their implementation of the Dualsense controller in general. Astrobot was amazing, everything that came after - even first party stuff - ranged from meh to okay in comparison as far as utilization of haptic feedback.
I hate to be negative about nearly everything but yeah, I am just not impressed with virtually anything Sony has done the last four years.
PS5 OS still is still extremely lacking, meaningful social features have been pared back or eliminated entirely (RIP Playstation Home), VR2 was dead on arrival, the Dualsense controllers' longevity and build quality is the worst of any gen so far, the first party games are good but samey and not as many as in years past, and on top of it all Sony as a company has become quiet and reclusive in its communication with the fans, like a weird hermit.
The sole shining point for me has been third party games and indies.
I guess I am just getting old and cranky? I dunno, I'm good as long as I can still collect physical on older platforms and if nothing else, PS5 has a strong built-in library of PS4 titles. I'm literally playing PS1 right now more than PS5 if that tells you anything. And having a blast with it!
Yup I picked up the Edge controller as well. It really boggles the mind how much money I've given this company...
Honestly had no idea there were stock issues with the replacement sticks. I'll have to pick a few up then in anticipation of the inevitable stick drift issues.
Of all the "limited release" type companies, like Limited Run Games, Special Reserve Games, and Super Rare Games I liked Humble Bundle the best as a company.
Thanks for providing a physical release of Signalis so that game can be preserved in the future. Will miss them for sure.
Comments 872
Re: Soapbox: I Spent 3 Days with the Concord Trophy Hunters Who Dedicated Their Lives to Unlocking the PS5, PC Platinum
Been trophy hunting since the first Uncharted patched trophies in back in '09 I think. I don't do stuff like this, I have a more smooth and steady wins the race mentality I guess. Closing in on 200 platinums- all games I wanted to play, no shovelware to pad the numbers. Keep in mind that those were stretched out over 15 years though.
I've received a lot of crap about it from nearly everyone in my life. "Why do you care?" " Why do you do that?"
Well, my best answer is I was pretty OCD about 100% completion in games long before trophies existed, so it more complimented how I already played games (get all the collectibles, kill the secret boss, etc.). Plus, even for not so great games, I feel somewhat compelled to see everything in the game, because I know each little bit took a lot of work. Sort of an homage to the devs in a weird way.
I work 60 hours a week, have a lot of other obligations on top. Trophy hunting is my stress reliever. All these "no life" comments make me scratch my head. It's just fun. I know it doesn't mean anything but it's cool to me to have an inventory of my game achievements and a meta aspect to gaming scratches my compulsive itch like no other.
I think something people do forget also is trophies were initially pitched as a component of Playstation Home, Sony's weird second life app on PS3. Originally, the plan was to be able to display your trophies in your digital apartment. A cool idea that sadly was never implemented. Luckily, the trophy system took on a life of its own. And here we are.
What I would really love is a system-level trophy leaderboard like Xbox has.
Re: Random: Gearbox Founder, CEO Compares Company to The Beatles, Gets Roasted
The only thing Randy Pitchford and the Beatles have in common is a cocaine addiction.
This guy is the Joe Exotic of game development.
Re: Star Wars Outlaws, XDefiant Disappointments Pour Pain on Ubisoft's Share Prices
@Rich33
Yes, couldn't agree more. I know the argument is they can do both GaaS and single player, then everyone is happy, but I really still don't buy that. One comes at the cost of the other. I mean, I don't think the Sony 2024 first party drought and the push for live service happening at pretty much the exact same time is any kind of coincidence - I believe there is a strong causal relationship there.
They really need to figure out how they want to proceed going forward. Look, I've never spent 20 bucks on a skin, ever. So I guess there's less money short term if they pursue me as a target market. But I - have - bought every Sony first party game they've released so far, even the re-releases (Concord being the one and only exception). Bought every piece of hardware. That's us, the "hardcore" market (hate the term). It's less money up front because we aren't engaging with the digital casinos masquerading as games, but we are more reliable and longer term customers. I feel Sony's new approach is bad business focusing too much on short term.
All that aside, have fun with Astrobot 👍
Re: Star Wars Outlaws, XDefiant Disappointments Pour Pain on Ubisoft's Share Prices
@somnambulance
I did forget, I got Rebirth at launch so I guess it was 4. I definitely will pick up Wukong at some point! Stellar Blade, Dragon's Dogma, and a few others are interesting, but I just haven't felt the need to pull the trigger on those.
Being a big horror buff, I'm very excited about Silent Hill 2 and the physical release of Alan Wake 2. So the tail end of the year is packed for me too.
Besides that, definitely some strong indie showings. Balatro was awesome. Dredge and Cult of the Lamb had some new DLC. The Prince of Persia game and, surprisingly, Contra: Operation Galuga brought it home as well. Then the Microsoft releases, Pentiment and Hi Fi Rush. So the indie scene has been strong and saved the year for me. AAA releases I've mostly dodged.
Now that I'm taking a mental inventory, I think I just like indie games better these days 😆. But definitely excited for Astrobot.
Re: Star Wars Outlaws, XDefiant Disappointments Pour Pain on Ubisoft's Share Prices
@somnambulance
Wow, you said it better than I could've. I'm not saying I represent the average gamer, but I am lucky enough to have a decent amount of discretionary income to spend. But there just isn't that much I'm interested in. In years past, I would buy 25-40 games. This year? I have purchased three day one releases - Tekken 8, Baldur's Gate 3, and now Astro Bot. That's it.
These publishers aren't making anything I want. Too busy chasing Fortnight money. You, me, your friend group you mentioned - we are the long money. The Fortnight / Apex Legends kids, they are fly by night. Big profits up front but it's not long term, they'll go to the next big thing tomorrow or the next day.
These big publishers are all gonna get a huge wake up call in the next 10 years when they have to pivot and desperately try to claw back the aging hardcore crowd they threw away so their CEOs could get bigger bonuses. Looks like Ubisoft is getting theirs early.
Re: PS5, PC Shooter Concord Dead on Arrival, Is Being Taken Offline This Week as Dev 'Explores Options'
@zebric21
Right you are. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Re: PS5, PC Shooter Concord Dead on Arrival, Is Being Taken Offline This Week as Dev 'Explores Options'
@djlard
Nah multiplayer only unfortunately.
The first one had single player though.
Re: PS5, PC Shooter Concord Dead on Arrival, Is Being Taken Offline This Week as Dev 'Explores Options'
So...
Who's ready for Fairgames?
Re: PS5, PC Shooter Concord Dead on Arrival, Is Being Taken Offline This Week as Dev 'Explores Options'
And Astro Bot will sell buckets. Are you getting the message, Sony? Can the people in the back (Hulst and the clueless investors) hear us yet?
Re: PS5, PC Shooter Concord Dead on Arrival, Is Being Taken Offline This Week as Dev 'Explores Options'
Annnnnnd it's gone.
Re: Concord Devs Maintain Radio Silence, Which Isn't Helping Matters
The odd thing is everyone at Sony knew this was coming months ago. They had the preorder numbers well in advance and would have known this game was on track to bomb spectacularly.
Explains the limited marketing in the lead up to release. Firewalk was ominously quiet before the game's launch. They already knew what was about to happen.
Re: Mini Review: Vampire Survivors (PS5) - Indie Icon Should Come with a Health Warning
Played for the first time yesterday. This game plays a weird trick on my mind because essentially you are not even pushing any buttons, just moving around. And it's really damn fun.
So I'm starting to question myself and how I consume entertainment. It is barely interactive. And I love it. The graphics are terrible. And I love it. I can't get too introspective about it though or try to dissect why it is fun, it just is.
Re: Concord PS5, PC Sales Estimates Are Somehow Even Worse Than We Thought
@Malaise
Definitely fascinating if you are a numbers person or interested in the business aspect of this industry.
I guess we can say Concord made history and managed to break records. Just not in the way they intended.
Re: Concord PS5, PC Sales Estimates Are Somehow Even Worse Than We Thought
@Malaise
Actually, based on PSNProfiles user data, the 15,000 sales on PS5 estimate lines up very closely with the trophy data.
PSNProfiles tracks roughly only 10% of active players. (We actually know this is pretty accurate based on comparing a game with known sales to how many registered users on PSNProfiles have played the game - it usually comes pretty close to 10%).
PSNProfiles lists Concord as having 1258 PS5 players currently - we can extrapolate approximately 13,000 sales then.
If accurate, this would be the worst performing AAA release in modern gaming history.
Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Design Seemingly Leaked
Guess you gotta wait for the PS5 Expert Pro Platinum if you want a disc drive.
Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Design Seemingly Leaked
Re: Talking Point: Can PS5, PC Shooter Concord Be Saved?
Agreed Sony playing all it's cards so close to its chest, refusing to engage with the audience, is gonna result in more pushback with each individual flop. People have short memories. Give them something shiny to look forward to, and they won't get out the pitchforks when they see something they don't like.
Re: Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Is the PS4 Compilation of Your Dreams
Power Stone hasn't shown its beautiful face since the PSP release. Count me in.
Re: Starship Troopers: Extermination Details Galactic Front Operations, Single-Player Campaign
Alright, I'm probably making connections where they don't exist, but the fact they featured the flamethrower in the trailer almost seems like a reference to Helldivers 2 recent flamethrower nerf controversy.
Am I reaching?
Re: Xbox Renegotiated Indiana Jones Deal to Exclude PS5, Then Ported It Anyway
@GeeEssEff
I think that sort of talk comes from two broad eras - first, the release of the PS3 after the absolute dominance of the PS2. Specifically, the $600 price tag on launch. That is a part of Sony's history that will never leave the Playstation fanbase's collective memory. That 600 price tag was absolutely devastating and nobody ever really forgot. Caused a big shakeup internally within Sony among the upper executives and among their customers as well. That was 18 years ago now.
The second is the current era we are in now. After the runaway success of the PS4, and right about 2 years prior to the launch of the PS5, Sony became weird. Not sure what happened, but the current discourse online (for what that's worth) is the Playstation division suddenly became reclusive, distant and uncommunicative with its fans and the media, which coincided with a new push towards higher prices across the board. While Sony has always been a business, their PR was previously pretty effective at suspending your disbelief. Now, you can't help but be reminded Sony is a soulless corporation at every turn. Jim Ryan didn't help that perception much.
Basically, the Playstation division has shown a pattern of achieving a big success, followed by some perceived overreach or strategic blunder. I think Sony has always tried to position itself as a boutique brand with prices to match, but they don't always have the cachet to demand those higher prices. And every time they are in a position to raise prices, they do - every time, whether it is warranted or not. Hence all the "Sony is arrogant" comments. But hey, that's every business on the planet.
My personal take is Sony has pretty much shed the wool at this point and just discarded everything that wasn't related to their core business enterprise. Dropped out of every gaming trade show (their in-house Showcase presentations almost always miss the mark), announced the PS5 extremely late and in a Wired magazine article of all things, followed by a weird Mark Cerny presentation. They raised the price of the PS5 retroactively in most regions, led the way in a price increase for games to $70, abandoned exclusives for extra PC sales, have almost entirely eliminated their AA development teams in favor of a very limited selection of genres and a stated focus on live service, as well as maintained an egregiously long period of cross-platform releases on the PS4 which has this far stunted the PS5's potential... In summary, it's starting to really feel like a company run by accountants (It always has been, they just were better at hiding it in the past).
My anecdotal take is people who jumped in around PS4 don't really get the animosity towards Sony, while people who started with the PS1 argue this is the worst Playstation generation by far. I'm in the second camp. But then again, maybe we are just old and grouchy.
Re: Friendly Fire Expected in 16-Player Starship Troopers: Extermination PVE Action
"Machiavellian power struggle"
I love it. Whoever wrote this deserves a raise.
Re: Until Dawn PS5 Is Priced at $60 / £60
I don't know what I'm more afraid of, the Wendigo or Sony's pricing strategy.
Re: Get a BFG of Your Very Own with Physical DOOM Anthology Preorder on PS5, PS4
Just a PSA, this doesn't actually include a physical game, just download codes.
Re: Concord Pre-Load Available Now on PS5, Post-Launch Roadmap Revealed
@naruball
As the 'Official Decider of Internet Opinion' (You may bow but you don't have to), I have pre-authorized the opinion Concord will be a poor quality game in this Internet comment section. You must have missed the email I sent out.
@naruball, trying to police opinion on the internet without the proper authorizations is a grave offense. You are not allowed, you haven't taken the one week online course. This is a heavy burden we opinion police bear. Unfortunately I have no choice but to bestow the maximum penalty: you will be required to play Concord. I take no pleasure in this.
Re: 15 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Announced for August 2024
@WhiteRabbit
I always figured it was just a myth, like the moon landing or home ownership. Thanks for confirming.
Re: 15 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Announced for August 2024
@WhiteRabbit
I've read about them online. Apparently it's where you don't work 60 hours a week and drink on the beach or some such. I dunno, sounds grand though.
Re: Poll: Rate Your Favourite PS5 Roguelike Games
Enter the Gungeon is hard as nails but so much fun.
Re: Arrowhead Unveils 60-Day Plan to Placate Rebellious Helldivers 2 Fans
It's their game, I respect their right to balance according to their own design philosophy. Their strategy of "nerf anything that gets used a lot" is an interesting choice for a PvE game, but hey it's their call.
For my part, I dropped the game mostly because of the nerfs. No review bombing or any foolishness like that, I'm just not gonna play it anymore. There are so many options competing for my free time, I'm not gonna play something I don't find fun. Pretty much the long and short of it. RIP railgun.
I remember logging in one day to find out they drastically nerfed my entire specific setup. Like, each individual weapon. Then there was a "bug" that simultaneously increased the spawn rate of armored enemies. People were just running around the map, not shooting or playing the objectives. Just running around like chickens with their heads cut off from giant spiders. Because they nerfed the only viable (at the time) anti armor options. Because too many players were using them. I guess that's what they call balance.
Wish them the best of luck in their holy quest for absolute, pure balance in a game against AI opponents.
Re: Alan Wake 2 Still Hasn't Made Remedy Any Royalties, But Work Is Underway on Max Payne's PS5 Remakes
@LowDefAl
Yeah there is some overlap in the digital versus physical sales breakdowns that undercounts physical sales. I put a low-end estimate in my comment because I didn't want anyone to say I was inflating the numbers to make a point.
But to be honest even a 5 percent drop in sales is catastrophicly large. We are talking in the region of 20, 30, maybe even 40 or more percent here. Why did they do that.
First to clarify, I like Remedy as a company. It wasn't Remedy who did this, it was their publisher, Epic. They said it was a cost cutting measure. That was in fact a 100%, verifiable lie. It was a DRM measure probably meant to fight used game sales. I guess they undercounted how much they'd lose in sales at the end of the day, versus how much they'd gain in preventing used sales. Turned out to be a net negative for them it seems.
I do not appreciate companies doing this, but digital age and all that, ya gotta go with the punches. What I really don't like is a company lying about it, dressing it up as "cutting costs" for the consumer. They assume we are idiots.
I'll continue to not purchase any AAA game that doesn't release physically. I have nothing against people who are all about digital, but it's just not for me.
Re: More Spicy Helldivers 2 Drama as Freedom's Flame Backlash Boils Over
Might be an unpopular opinion, but Arrowhead should cool it with this machine gun volley of balance patch after balance patch, each wildly shifting the meta game and sending players searching for a new loadout each time.
It's a PvE game, it doesn't need perfect balance. It needs to be fun. PvP, yeah I get that needs constant balancing. This is strictly PvE.
Signed, someone who ditched the game after they nerfed virtually every piece of equipment I used at one point or another. Went from being able to do level 9 difficulty down to lvl 6 overnight. Forced myself to relearn the game to a degree. Then it happened again. Then again. Wasn't fun for me.
Re: Alan Wake 2 Still Hasn't Made Remedy Any Royalties, But Work Is Underway on Max Payne's PS5 Remakes
They cut themselves out of a huge chunk of sales by declining to release a physical edition, going off of the rough estimate around 20 - 25% of purchases are still physical. Bonkers decision for a AAA title.
Good thing they finally came around on the whole physical edition thing. Can't wait to play the game in October.
Re: Sony Appears to Be Dabbling with Written User Reviews on the PS Store
The sole benefit of this will be reading funny reviews for terrible games. I still read Steam store reviews for entertainment; the Gollum game reviews are a good time.
Re: Poll: Is the Astro Bot PS5 Controller the Best DualSense Yet?
@caiol92
A couple places do custom Dualsense designs and there are some variations of the classic PS1 controller look. They are expensive as all heck, but they look amazing.
Re: Final Fantasy Pixel Collection Getting Physical Anniversary Reprint on PS4
@Vivisapprentice
Wow, I would pay a dirty amount of money for that. Square, hire this person.
Re: Final Fantasy Pixel Collection Getting Physical Anniversary Reprint on PS4
This is hilarious. The first print run they shadow dropped at like 2 am, which sold out in all of 2 hours in the US, was selling at 800 DOLLARS a copy, USED within a week of release.
I feel bad for whoever paid that price, almost. I've been following this game on eBay and copies routinely go for $750+ a copy in bidding. A new copy sold yesterday for $1000.00. Welp, I guess the party is over for the scalpers.
Very welcome news! Thank you Square.
EDIT: Checked reseller sites. New copies all over the place selling for $200-300. Bout a thousand dollar drop in 12 hours. I love it when scalpers lose.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Dev Asks Fans to Give It 'a Chance'
@Arumat
I was really disappointed when Bloober was revealed to be working on this. But I'll say their games aren't bad, just sorta average. The bigger issue though isn't their average output, it's more the type of horror they do isn't really in the same category as Silent Hill.
Well what can you do. Expect the worst, hope for the best I suppose.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Dev Asks Fans to Give It 'a Chance'
Well we had Silent Hill Ascension which was a crime against humanity and The Short Message, which kicked a puppy off a bridge, metaphorically speaking.
Soooo... Honestly, the bar is pretty low. I'd settle for a passable game. I'm not expecting miracles from Bloober.
I am excited for Silent Hill Townfall though as the developer (No Code) seems like they are compatible with the type of psychological horror the originals are known for, based on their previous games.
Re: Wreckfest 2 Plots a Crash Course with PS5
@KundaliniRising333
Oh c'mon, what other game can you race a couch!? I guess you didn't go in for the outhouse toilet DLC car. And no not making that up.
Re: Wreckfest 2 Plots a Crash Course with PS5
@TurboTom
Same, got the platinum for the first game, really enjoyed it. Ended up turning off the weird public domain music and playing Spotify in the background - worked like a charm.
Re: Wreckfest 2 Plots a Crash Course with PS5
Now that's certainly a... trailer. A man fondling his beat up derby car like a long lost lover while making allusions to domestic violence and how he won't lose his temper again. Definitely, uh, creative.
Re: BioWare Reveals Release Window for Dragon Age: The Veilguard Release Date Announcement
@KillerBoy
Bioware is long gone. Don't imagine too many of the old guard stuck around for the post-Anthem era of Bioware.
Re: Another Wave of Concord PS5, PC Character Trailers Has Arrived
Look like Fortnight skins you'd get out of a Doritos bag or something.
Re: Until Dawn PS5, PC Remake Is Still on Its Way as Age Rating Surfaces
Not seeing the need for a remake/remaster of a PS4 game (even though I really like Until Dawn). It's a little too recent for the remake treatment, especially considering you can just play the PS4 version of Until Dawn on PS5.
It felt strange for The Last of Us, it feels even weirder for this game. Only PS4 game I would like to see a re-release for is Bloodborne.
Re: Randy Pitchford Says Fans Will Be 'Very, Very Happy' with Next Borderlands Game
Wait this is the same guy that misplaced a flashdrive full of porn in his office or something... Also does magic tricks at children's birthday parties I believe. I'm not saying he's a serial killer, but I'm not NOT saying that either.
Yeah, I'm sure the game will be game of the year material as long as they keep all that Gen Z humor in there that was such a hit in Borderlands 3.
Re: Shadows of the Damned Remaster Out This Halloween, Only £20 / $25
@homelesscretin
You ain't wrong, PS3 collecting is getting a bit pricy. I know people don't like the constant re-releases, but it brings old games back into the conversation and it's a good option for most people who don't have these older systems.
Plus, always the possibility we get a physical release on modern systems.
Re: Shadows of the Damned Remaster Out This Halloween, Only £20 / $25
Gonna be a good Halloween for horror games between this, Silent Hill 2, and the physical release of Alan Wake 2.
Nothing beats playing horror games during the spooky season.
Re: Capcom Endures Some Truly Incredible Monster Hunter Wilds Investor Questions
Investors - both of the institutional and speculator varieties - are complete and utter morons with no knowledge of how anything really works in the industry and are the fundamental cause of pretty much every gross practice going on today. They know ROIs, market caps, and share prices, but they generally have close to zero intimate knowledge of what they are investing in beyond the standard financial stats. Bunch of idiot geese flocking from one thing to the next.
And these people call the shots. The decisions that Sony, Microsoft, etc. make are geared more towards these people than the consumers. God help us.
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@NEStalgia
All these years later, I'm still in denial about the Vita situation. I have two I still use currently. There is a pattern emerging regarding their support (or lack thereof) for anything that isn't their flagship hardware.
To be honest, I'm not too psyched about their implementation of the Dualsense controller in general. Astrobot was amazing, everything that came after - even first party stuff - ranged from meh to okay in comparison as far as utilization of haptic feedback.
I hate to be negative about nearly everything but yeah, I am just not impressed with virtually anything Sony has done the last four years.
PS5 OS still is still extremely lacking, meaningful social features have been pared back or eliminated entirely (RIP Playstation Home), VR2 was dead on arrival, the Dualsense controllers' longevity and build quality is the worst of any gen so far, the first party games are good but samey and not as many as in years past, and on top of it all Sony as a company has become quiet and reclusive in its communication with the fans, like a weird hermit.
The sole shining point for me has been third party games and indies.
I guess I am just getting old and cranky? I dunno, I'm good as long as I can still collect physical on older platforms and if nothing else, PS5 has a strong built-in library of PS4 titles. I'm literally playing PS1 right now more than PS5 if that tells you anything. And having a blast with it!
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@NEStalgia
Yup I picked up the Edge controller as well. It really boggles the mind how much money I've given this company...
Honestly had no idea there were stock issues with the replacement sticks. I'll have to pick a few up then in anticipation of the inevitable stick drift issues.
Re: The Humble Games Team Has Reportedly Been Laid Off
Of all the "limited release" type companies, like Limited Run Games, Special Reserve Games, and Super Rare Games I liked Humble Bundle the best as a company.
Thanks for providing a physical release of Signalis so that game can be preserved in the future. Will miss them for sure.