This is just an echo of the original complaint and debates when Elden Ring first came out. It was the first Soulsborne game to reach the larger mass market, and people who weren't used to it started complaining about the difficulty. Opinion pieces and counter-opinion articles about difficulty sliders were flying left and right for a solid 6 months.
My take is, if you don't like bitter drinks, don't drink coffee. Go drink some orange juice. If you don't like hard games, that's valid, but don't play Soulsborne games.
By the way, Elden Ring is (by far) the easiest and most accessible in the series. I can't imagine what these people complaining would think about the original Fromsoft King's Field games. They would absolutely lose their minds.
I'm sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to to say here.
I wouldn't call this game crap, nor would its quality as a game be intrinsically less in the future, regardless of how many games release per day. Again, sorry if I missed your point.
I'd agree a Blu-Ray is overkill for a 400 MB game (could fit on a PS1 CD), but this is definitely a game that should be preserved in a physical edition for when storefronts cease to exist in 5, 10, 15, 20 or however many years.
Regardless of how disappointed I am in this generation in general, I can't deny indies are better than ever and have kept me invested. Pick up this game!
I think there's two distinct things going on here, where I can both agree and disagree with you in principle at the same time.
For one, we have never had more choice, if you look at the industry as a whole (AAA, AA, and indies), good games are still releasing in nearly every genre of you look beyond purely AAA blockbusters. I can't recall ever having more access to this much at once. And there's still a lot of creativity - again, you just have to look beyond AAA.
For the second point, I'd say being here since day one on the first PlayStation, back when people didn't know what to even make of that weird gray 'toy' that played CDs, I have never had less confidence in Sony's vision or business. And I don't mean the financials, I think they are doing alright there. I don't feel their financial health is really relevant to my main concerns.
But you are right, it's not a horrible year overall for "exclusives", but this is a mid-gen year. They should be firing on all cylinders and have picked up the pace around this point in past gens. Not the case this time around. That list would impress me for a launch lineup, not where we should be at today. Also, Sony's business culture has appeared to have changed substantially, with a naked focus on monetization over creativity and this has been compounded by an overall very strange and withdrawn communication style with the community.
The Sony of today I would simply describe as odd and almost hostile. I mean, I get this corporation has never been our friend, but it's kind of like watching an old buddy who was lively and fun slowly descend into depression and become a recluse. Kinda sad honestly. Just feels different, and overall I think their output is serviceable but objectively sucks compared to previous gens, for my money. The weirdness started with the PS5 being announced in a Wired article, which I thought was absolutely insane and out of character - and it progressed from there, getting worse.
I'm optimistic about the industry as a whole. Feels vibrant and full of possibility. Conversely, I am just about ready to write Sony (and most AAA publishers) off completely. They are not the same as they used to be. I personally hate the term "consumer friendly" and feel it gets overused. But yes, Sony personally feels unfriendly to me as a customer and they are not meeting my expectations at this time. I hope this changes.
Hey not to be pedantic but those 'old school' IPs you listed are all extremely recent in Sony's history. And by recent I mean just about brand new.
Twisted Metal, Aquanauts Holiday, Jersey Devil, Tiny Tank, Omega Boost, Ape Escape, Medievil, Carnage Heart... these are just a few of the largely forgotten, weird and cool titles on which the PlayStation legacy was built and grown - truly "old school" PlayStation.
God of War, Ghosts of Tsushima, Horizon etc. aren't bad games by an means, but the above franchises are the ones I would like to see return. Or the spirit of these titles at least. Which I'd argue the new games don't really capture all that well, being AAA blockbusters, which is fundamentally a far cry from how they did stuff back then.
The tough thing for us people that have been around a minute is realizing a person playing games today probably can't remember IPs from just ten years ago, let alone 30, because they weren't even born yet. Yeah, we are old.
I've been an early adopter since the PS1. Spent megatons of money on Playstation in the intervening years. I've looked at the last 4 years of releases and services like a job interview, with Sony as the candidate. Will I buy the PS6 day one? Is the PS5 Pro worth it?
Based on their new direction and performance, it's an absolute, resounding 'No' from me on all fronts. That's a first for me.
Time moves on, priorities change. The same for companies and people. I guess all I can say is I hope the Fortnite money was worth it. Probably in 10 to 20 years they'll pivot again and desperately try to claw their hardcore market back after realizing what they've done. It's the endless cycle of things.
Honestly? I think I'm just old. Outside of one or two games, the whole thing was bland and uninteresting. And that's been a recurring trend for me. The PS1 Sony felt cool and new and delivered droves of interesting titles, in nearly every conceivable genre. People forget this but PS1 games were janky and experimental, but they had soul and the fun factor in droves. Feels like the games out Sony these days - when they come out at all - are these made-by-committee, by-the-numbers situations.
But the PS1 days are well behind us now. I really can't complain too much. While I've never felt more alienated from and disappointed with Sony in roughly 25 years of being a frequent customer, third party games still have the magic. We are still spoilt for choice, you just have to move away from Sony first party stuff. The indie scene is on fire and scratches that PS1 itch.
I'd sure like to continue being a customer of Sony games and products, but they seemed to be eyeing greener pastures. And... that's probably smart business.
I mean, that would be an alright for a launch lineup. We are mid-gen. Seems like historically the first party gates are opened around this point and we get the genre-defining stuff, the platform flexes it's muscles, and the console breaks into a full sprint. Instead of revving up, feels like Sony is hitting the brakes.
I didn't think it was an awful showcase. Not good either, mind you, as I wasn't impressed in the slightest. It's cool though, I wasn't expecting much so I can't be upset.
Maybe this gen is just gonna take a little longer to find it's footing and we just have to accept that.
This is put more eloquently that I could've said it!
I've had some limited interactions with jobs (like construction) that were constrained by production bottlenecks in complicated, multi-phase projects. I suspect you are right it's a managerial issue, and the bottlenecks of game development are not being anticipated or planned for properly, causing progress to slow to a crawl here and there. This is just my guess though, I'm no game dev.
The solution was normally to have multiple teams working on separate aspects of the project in tandem and move them around as needed when the bottlenecks popped up, but communication breaks down or one team finishes ahead or behind. The goal changes, the timeline is moved up, it just becomes a mess. That's why this should all be mapped out in advance and have a production manager keep people on task and on time. When the company structure gets too big though, you start getting meetings about having another meeting to discuss something that needs to be approved by x person. And it just becomes a nightmare and the bureaucracy takes away the ability of the manager to keep people on assignment, and removes the mobility and adaptability needed to navigate unexpected production problems.
Let's just say, it's not a job I'd want or personally feel I could do any better in myself in these behemoth dev companies. I just blow smoke in comment sections just as a form of therapy.
Another entry in the stealth genre wouldn't go unappreciated. Only one still around outside of indies is the Hitman franchise, of all things. I'd have lost a bet between on that one.
I'm sure - because most companies are taking massive time on these AAA projects - there is of course something to it. More complex, bigger, something like that. A few are more efficient with things, like Capcom and Insomniac so it's not every single one, but most.
But I swear video game development is becoming like the construction industry with the delays and inflated project times. It's really hard to get excited about anything when about 1/12 of your life elapses between each release.
All we can do is joke I guess. Or find something else to do with our precious time. Like maybe a trip to the Sistine Chapel.
Well I just gotta take the L on this. But 4 years though right? That's what I get for going from my own memory and not pre-Googling that. Ninja Turtles ruined me... Well, at least I didn't say Donatello.
What in John Lennon's name is BluePoint up to? Nearly 4 years and not a peep. In fact, you could say that about half these studios.
I'm just gonna put it out there, Da Vinci painted the Sistine Chapel in four years. With a damn paintbrush, on pulleys. These lengthy release cycles are not cool. What even is that, two games per gen, per studio? What is going on around here?
It's amazing seeing an EOD technician from the UK, considering our profession originated in WWII and that knowledge was essentially passed down to us from what the UK learned during the Blitz. You guys were the originals! I was in the 420th Fighter Squadron.
I imagine the work is more or less the same. Thanks to our gun culture, we have that extra wrinkle, but the vast majority of it is just wading through people's problems on their worst days. I've only been shot at once in LE, and the guy missed (drunk). I'm always much more concerned about knives.
Anyways, congratulations on your well earned retirement!
Well that is an impressive resume. Yes, some industries - law enforcement in particular - pay no heed to your time or work-life balance.
I enjoyed reading your comment. I was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician for the US Air Force in the 2010s, after that I became a police officer. I have about 7 years in the profession at this point. I can back up everything you say, including the unexpected 16-24 hour shifts being fairly frequent. I just worked a 16-hour shift the other day due to calls piling in (I just work patrol, nothing special). Throw in specialty position on-call duties, like SWAT, K-9, dive team, hostage negotiator, death investigator, and you can kiss your personal life goodbye.
While I understand working insane hours is not exclusive to law enforcement, I believe about 95% of people, especially those working 9-5 jobs, have no conception of how many man hours first responders and not only expected, but required, to work. There is a reason about 80% of LEOs die before 60 due to general health issues. The issue is compounded by the fact that, here in the US, there is a work-your-butt off culture across the board anyways. If you aren't putting 50 hours in a week or more, you aren't really working or you are lazy.
I thought I'd never meet anyone who outworked me before LE. Oh how naive I was. I'm just average by that standard. The culture is you just work until the job is done, and nothing else matters.
Wow I didn't expect anyone to bring up Vigilante 8 on a PushSquare article today. That's a deep cut right there. Good game. In fact, I think I'd rather play that game than most of what releases today.
Ninja Theory were always on point with their story telling but gotta say, after playing Heavenly Blade, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and the first Hellblade - and enjoying them for what they were I might add - their games do lack depth in the gameplay department. Odyssey might be the exception there, I actually really enjoyed that one.
I honestly think the first Hellblade game was too high concept for me. Like there was something really good there that I just couldn't appreciate properly. The mental health angle was never that profound for me because while it was new at the time in games, it's well-trodden ground in books and movies. Sometimes I forget reviewers are different people and they find novelty in things that to me seem iterative, and on the inverse I'm blown away by things sometimes that others don't seem to care for.
Can't be too fussed about graphics in this day and age. I think I have a good read on what this game is from reviews and my past experiences with their games, but I don't want to discount it either as I haven't played it yet myself.
This was never a top tier studio - their games received middling reviews pretty consistently. They never released a game that saw mass appeal or any acclaim beyond a game reaching a limited cult favorite status, like The Getaway games or Blood and Truth. They are right there with Pixelopus and Japan Studio in terms of the role they filled - two other studios which got the axe recently.
And despite that, this closure hurts the most of any yet. London Studio has pedigree as making experimental titles and AA entries - something Sony needs right now, badly. AA games are an endangered species. Nowadays it's either indies or AAA blockbusters that follow a really samey template. We all know the one: Horizon, God of War, Days Gone, Death Stranding, Spiderman.
Now we get barren release schedules between AAA open world cinematic action extravaganzas with RPG-lite elements. It is all so damn cynical. Compare the first party releases on the PS5 to PS1, PS2, and PS3. Where are the Concrete Genies, the Twisted Metals, the Medievils, the Wipeouts, the Motorstorms?
Been playing primarily Sony consoles since PS1. Something is deeply wrong in the house of Sony. I don't like where any of this is going.
Go on, go ahead and shut down Media Molecule already. It's already as good as done and we all know it. So we can get God of War 7: Electric Boogaloo in seven years instead of eight. Gotta make sure the profits grow for the next quarterly results, who gives a damn where the company is in ten years. The shareholders don't care, they will dump the stock from their portfolios as soons as it dips. The execs don't care, they will be retired by then. Why are all the decisions made - TODAY - being made for people who won't be here tomorrow? Money. Money of the short-term variety, is the answer.
When they are consistently high quality, I don't mind they are all sequels to an existing property. Plus, their established IP pool is so deep they could ride that train forever and avoid franchise fatigue. So many dormant series they haven't touched in awhile. Darkstalkers please.
Capcom is one of the few big publishers (maybe the only one) that delivers consistently and with a high bar for quality. Fighting games, horror games, action games, RPGs - all top notch in their genre.
It's like they are the one publisher still living in the 90s golden era while all the other big companies became addicted to crack and live in the streets now.
"Why does Push Square publish so many articles about Xbox.."
Because this is a PlayStation news website, and because Xbox is their most direct competitor this kind of stuff is de-facto relevant and important to PlayStation based on how interrelated their business practices and strategies are. What Xbox does and doesn't do affects Sony in a direct and real way.
Or I guess, based on your comment history, what you wanted to hear was PushSquare staff and users are just really biased and are trying to constantly dunk on Xbox for clicks and in a nefarious effort to promote a 90s-esque console war.
Yes, this. You remember how PS3 got a lot of flack for muddy, washed out color pallettes in AAA games? PS4/PS5 went to this hyper realistic thing recently for AAA. There are definitely these distinct eras of graphical styles throughout the different consoles.
I was referring specifically to graphics but I think the woah moment I was talking about can be other things. Like an ingenious game mechanic. Enemies following your footprints in the snow in Metal Gear Solid or the paint brush mechanic in Okami also hit me the same way. It doesn't need to be just amazing graphics, I think like a lot of people have said the PS5 could offer this through its SSD and integrating that somehow into a novel game mechanic (Rift Apart came close but I'm talking about more than seamless world transitions)
Yeah agreed! For PS2 it was God of War 2 for me. PS3, it was The Last of Us. PS4, it was Uncharted 4. Games that make you go 'woah' (at least graphically anyways). The only game that came close this gen to doing that for me was the Demons Souls remake and Ratchet and Clank of all things, both launch window titles.
I feel the base PS5 is thoroughly untapped at this point and while plenty of good games have released, no 'woah', moments so far. Maybe we can't expect these big graphical jumps between consoles anymore.
They got some marketing geniuses over there I tell ya. Slap 'Pro' on it and you just feel inadequate using anything less. What does it do? Who cares, that's a question an amateur would ask.
I think the post will age okay. A lot of people, particularly in this community, view the GTA series as a soulless cash grab live service abomination that may or may not have caused irreparable damage to the gaming industry by very successfully filling the niche of a mass-appeal, casual game akin to Fortnight for adults.
Okay, I'm projecting a bit. I'm sure it will sell bucket loads. But yeah, there is some kind of anti-GTA bent around here. Loved the single player in 5.
I bet it sells okay in the end. I'm sure there will be some use case for it for the hardcore / early adopter crowd. Probably something like better framerate, which is negligible and unimpressive for a lot of people (me), but crucial and all-important to many others. Maybe some VR2 compatibility?
I feel like Xbox had all the cards and everything was in place for them this gen. They had leading infrastructure and tech for their GamePass vision, they had the free cash for big acquisitions, they had a capable console with a cheaper alternative for more casual folks entering the gaming sphere, and they had a distinct goal of broadening console gaming to other devices they seem committed to.
There was just one crucial thing missing: the games. A console needs first party exclusive games - to distinguish its brand from the competition, to move consoles, to establish some sort of identity. This is as true today as it was in '95 when the PS1 carved it's way into the market from nothing, with good games and a distinct, edgier, more "adult" marketing approach to distinguish it from Nintendo. They had an angle they worked to get into the market and the good luck for Sega to make some huge business errors in the hardware space.
GamePass is not an identity. It's not enough by itself. GamePass + high-quality, plentiful first party games = Microsoft is the new king of console gaming. They tripped at the finish line. I don't know what omega-level mismanagement has occurred over the past three plus years to result in not a single standout flagship title being released across a multitude of studios, but it needs to get looked at with a critical eye.
No sane person wants Xbox to disappear from the hardware space, as they reign in Sony's less friendly business impulses.
Oh yeah, a lot of people were happy with the performance boost, especially people who are keen on framerate. I've heard people sing it's praises and get the arguments for 4k and all that.
I owned one. Bought it due to my base PS4 being pretty aged and struggling at the point. I saw hardly any noticeable benefit at all. But that's me, I think it is a niche product marketed maybe more to technophiles, but to my untrained eye I got nothing out of it except jet fan noises that scared my dog haha. I'm not discounting the value of it, just saying it's meant for people who are not me, possibly more observant people than me.
I think the general argument is those games run poorly because they are not optimized well for the system, not because the PS5 is maxed out. We see those games patched later to have better performance in those cases when they are a mess at launch or don't work well.
I personally can't say for sure because I'm not a game dev but I think the base PS5 has a lot more to give, especially by well optimized games released by first parties. Fingers crossed.
That was pretty much THE reason for a Pro, and maybe framerate here and there. Anecdotally, the game specific tweaks I never was too blown away by. I remember Monster Hunter World had a fidelity mode that added more foliage, which was cool. But nothing truly game changing as far as anything I personally played, outside the 4k support (which is a pretty big jump admittedly). I think the benefits of the Pro were pretty overstated... but the triple decker design was neat. Too bad about the jet engine fan.
Some people mentioned it was a pretty big boost for VR games, which is significant if you played a lot of VR.
I kinda feel like I'm nuts but I still can't - really - tell the difference between 30 and 60 fps unless it's compared side by side. I guess I might be crazy and I suppose it is to my benefit I can't tell. I can tell when the frame rate dips but that's about it.
Call me the most unobservant person in the world haha, but I have never understood this whole frame rate obsession thing. I know I'm not in the majority on this but I'd like to see improvements in other areas besides just repeatedly focusing on this specific element. I feel like I missed a whole generation because I missed the memo that framerate is king. We used to talk about new gameplay mechanics and "better graphics" between generations as kids. Now we argue about 10 framerate dips in a 60fps game in hyper-technical Digital Foundry videos.
What the PS4 Pro offered in a nutshell was 4K compatibility. It was needed at the time, as 4K TVs were becoming the industry standard. Granted, the vast majority of games did not actually output true 4k, but it was needed regardless. The PS4 base model hardware was pretty dated the second it launched. By the time the Pro launched it was ancient.
But you are right - in the end, the value proposition for the Pro was 4K and... Pretty much jack all else. The "pro enhanced" modes some games offered were to me negligible and unimpressive.
Yeah could not agree more. I would say the PS5 has room to grow beyond just upping the frame rate and resolution that so many seem to be obsessed with these days. These marginal, barely noticeable (to me anyways) changes that don't affect the end experience all that much.
What PS5 could do - and where I think PS4 held it back - is as you said the game design philosophy, not resolution or graphics. Namely, utilizing the SSD to create new experiences. We saw this in a limited way with Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart's seamless world transitions, although it was later discovered some trickery was involved there. Graphics are scalable, the core game design is not.
What made it apparent the PS4 parity is holding PS5 back for me was God of War: Ragnarok. The design limitations of the PS4 version (loading screens hidden by tedious segments of squeezing through wall openings, etc.) are naturally present in the PS5 version as well, even though they were not needed with the PS5's SSD. I firmly believe the level layouts would be rearranged for the better and "flow" better in a more seamless way, if the PS4 version did not exist. This is just one small example of many I'm sure. Sort of that old argument that the devs develop to the lowest common denominator and scale what is scalable to the more powerful consoles.
It's a shame that the most impressive games for me in the PS5's library are still the exclusives that came out during the launch window, like Ratchet and Demon's Souls and Astro Bot. Something happened about 6 months in where they just chose to make the PS5 like a PS4 Pro+. It never felt like a generational leap outside of the launch games because they ditched exclusivity pretty quickly. I think it was a practical business decision that hurt the PS5's long term prospects in the end.
Amen to that. I don't like the overall direction I'm seeing with the acquisitions, whether it was Tencent, Microsoft, or Sony. I'm glad it's slowing down now.
I like Xbox as a brand. Had a lot of good memories doing Halo LAN parties, playing Morrowind / Gears / etc. Good times.
Despite liking Xbox, I never stopped despising Microsoft as a company. For a whole host of reasons that has nothing to do with their games division. The whole Game pass thing to me is nasty, the buying up huge publishers thing is even worse. I get their overall plan, or vision, or whatever you want to call it... And I don't want it.
I want some competition to be around though. Letting Sony of the leash entirely is a future I do not want to see. Hope they can continue to coexist.
Comments 910
Re: Konami Producer Would 'Like Nothing Better Than to Work with Hideo Kojima Again'
Big fan of Hideo's older games. MGS is my favorite game of all time. Kojima as a person though, I am not a fan of.
I could honestly do without him after how he treated David Hayter.
Re: FromSoftware Boss Uses Every Elden Ring Advantage: 'I Absolutely Suck at Video Games'
@Perturbator
Two sides of the same awful, entitled coin.
Re: Dataminer Tips Terminator T-1000, Conan the Barbarian DLC for Mortal Kombat 1
I"ve been waiting for a little mustard and ketchup on my MK sandwich since MKX.
Re: Broken, Battered Elden Ring Players Review Bomb Shadow of the Erdtree for Being Too Hard
This is just an echo of the original complaint and debates when Elden Ring first came out. It was the first Soulsborne game to reach the larger mass market, and people who weren't used to it started complaining about the difficulty. Opinion pieces and counter-opinion articles about difficulty sliders were flying left and right for a solid 6 months.
My take is, if you don't like bitter drinks, don't drink coffee. Go drink some orange juice. If you don't like hard games, that's valid, but don't play Soulsborne games.
By the way, Elden Ring is (by far) the easiest and most accessible in the series. I can't imagine what these people complaining would think about the original Fromsoft King's Field games. They would absolutely lose their minds.
Re: Embracer Claims Newly Adopted AI Policy Will 'Massively Enhance Game Development'
Sounds like a bunch of buzzwords the investor class will love.
Pretty sure this company makes all its business decisions with a magic 8 ball.
Re: Play Texas Hold 'Em with Balatro's Physical Edition on PS5, PS4
@Frmknst
I'm sorry, I don't understand what you are trying to to say here.
I wouldn't call this game crap, nor would its quality as a game be intrinsically less in the future, regardless of how many games release per day. Again, sorry if I missed your point.
Re: Play Texas Hold 'Em with Balatro's Physical Edition on PS5, PS4
@DennisReynolds
I'd agree a Blu-Ray is overkill for a 400 MB game (could fit on a PS1 CD), but this is definitely a game that should be preserved in a physical edition for when storefronts cease to exist in 5, 10, 15, 20 or however many years.
Re: Play Texas Hold 'Em with Balatro's Physical Edition on PS5, PS4
Regardless of how disappointed I am in this generation in general, I can't deny indies are better than ever and have kept me invested. Pick up this game!
Re: Xbox Boss Phil Spencer Says DOOM Franchise Is Something That 'Everyone Deserves to Play'
Of all the games which changed hands in the acquisition, the only game that hurt a bit to lose was the Doom franchise. Eternal was amazing.
Glad to hear it will be available to all of us.
Re: Horror Hit Alan Wake 2 Is Getting a Retail PS5 Release Because You Wouldn't Shut Up About It
Bout time. Bit pricy, but a promise is a promise. Will get it day one. See Remedy, easiest 80 bucks you ever made.
Re: It's 'A Truly Exciting Time' for PlayStation as New Sony CEOs Take Control
@add286
I think there's two distinct things going on here, where I can both agree and disagree with you in principle at the same time.
For one, we have never had more choice, if you look at the industry as a whole (AAA, AA, and indies), good games are still releasing in nearly every genre of you look beyond purely AAA blockbusters. I can't recall ever having more access to this much at once. And there's still a lot of creativity - again, you just have to look beyond AAA.
For the second point, I'd say being here since day one on the first PlayStation, back when people didn't know what to even make of that weird gray 'toy' that played CDs, I have never had less confidence in Sony's vision or business. And I don't mean the financials, I think they are doing alright there. I don't feel their financial health is really relevant to my main concerns.
But you are right, it's not a horrible year overall for "exclusives", but this is a mid-gen year. They should be firing on all cylinders and have picked up the pace around this point in past gens. Not the case this time around. That list would impress me for a launch lineup, not where we should be at today. Also, Sony's business culture has appeared to have changed substantially, with a naked focus on monetization over creativity and this has been compounded by an overall very strange and withdrawn communication style with the community.
The Sony of today I would simply describe as odd and almost hostile. I mean, I get this corporation has never been our friend, but it's kind of like watching an old buddy who was lively and fun slowly descend into depression and become a recluse. Kinda sad honestly. Just feels different, and overall I think their output is serviceable but objectively sucks compared to previous gens, for my money. The weirdness started with the PS5 being announced in a Wired article, which I thought was absolutely insane and out of character - and it progressed from there, getting worse.
I'm optimistic about the industry as a whole. Feels vibrant and full of possibility. Conversely, I am just about ready to write Sony (and most AAA publishers) off completely. They are not the same as they used to be. I personally hate the term "consumer friendly" and feel it gets overused. But yes, Sony personally feels unfriendly to me as a customer and they are not meeting my expectations at this time. I hope this changes.
Re: It's 'A Truly Exciting Time' for PlayStation as New Sony CEOs Take Control
@OldGamer999
Hey not to be pedantic but those 'old school' IPs you listed are all extremely recent in Sony's history. And by recent I mean just about brand new.
Twisted Metal, Aquanauts Holiday, Jersey Devil, Tiny Tank, Omega Boost, Ape Escape, Medievil, Carnage Heart... these are just a few of the largely forgotten, weird and cool titles on which the PlayStation legacy was built and grown - truly "old school" PlayStation.
God of War, Ghosts of Tsushima, Horizon etc. aren't bad games by an means, but the above franchises are the ones I would like to see return. Or the spirit of these titles at least. Which I'd argue the new games don't really capture all that well, being AAA blockbusters, which is fundamentally a far cry from how they did stuff back then.
The tough thing for us people that have been around a minute is realizing a person playing games today probably can't remember IPs from just ten years ago, let alone 30, because they weren't even born yet. Yeah, we are old.
Re: Reaction: PS5 Livestreams Are No Longer Speaking to the Fans Who Built the Brand
I've been an early adopter since the PS1. Spent megatons of money on Playstation in the intervening years. I've looked at the last 4 years of releases and services like a job interview, with Sony as the candidate. Will I buy the PS6 day one? Is the PS5 Pro worth it?
Based on their new direction and performance, it's an absolute, resounding 'No' from me on all fronts. That's a first for me.
Time moves on, priorities change. The same for companies and people. I guess all I can say is I hope the Fortnite money was worth it. Probably in 10 to 20 years they'll pivot again and desperately try to claw their hardcore market back after realizing what they've done. It's the endless cycle of things.
Re: Reaction: PS5 Livestreams Are No Longer Speaking to the Fans Who Built the Brand
Honestly? I think I'm just old. Outside of one or two games, the whole thing was bland and uninteresting. And that's been a recurring trend for me. The PS1 Sony felt cool and new and delivered droves of interesting titles, in nearly every conceivable genre. People forget this but PS1 games were janky and experimental, but they had soul and the fun factor in droves. Feels like the games out Sony these days - when they come out at all - are these made-by-committee, by-the-numbers situations.
But the PS1 days are well behind us now. I really can't complain too much. While I've never felt more alienated from and disappointed with Sony in roughly 25 years of being a frequent customer, third party games still have the magic. We are still spoilt for choice, you just have to move away from Sony first party stuff. The indie scene is on fire and scratches that PS1 itch.
I'd sure like to continue being a customer of Sony games and products, but they seemed to be eyeing greener pastures. And... that's probably smart business.
Re: Poll: What Did You Think of Sony's State of Play for May 2024?
@AdamNovice
I mean, that would be an alright for a launch lineup. We are mid-gen. Seems like historically the first party gates are opened around this point and we get the genre-defining stuff, the platform flexes it's muscles, and the console breaks into a full sprint. Instead of revving up, feels like Sony is hitting the brakes.
I didn't think it was an awful showcase. Not good either, mind you, as I wasn't impressed in the slightest. It's cool though, I wasn't expecting much so I can't be upset.
Maybe this gen is just gonna take a little longer to find it's footing and we just have to accept that.
Re: Don't Worry, Sony's Most Recognisable Studios Are Still Focused on Single Player PS5 Games
@Th3solution
This is put more eloquently that I could've said it!
I've had some limited interactions with jobs (like construction) that were constrained by production bottlenecks in complicated, multi-phase projects. I suspect you are right it's a managerial issue, and the bottlenecks of game development are not being anticipated or planned for properly, causing progress to slow to a crawl here and there. This is just my guess though, I'm no game dev.
The solution was normally to have multiple teams working on separate aspects of the project in tandem and move them around as needed when the bottlenecks popped up, but communication breaks down or one team finishes ahead or behind. The goal changes, the timeline is moved up, it just becomes a mess. That's why this should all be mapped out in advance and have a production manager keep people on task and on time. When the company structure gets too big though, you start getting meetings about having another meeting to discuss something that needs to be approved by x person. And it just becomes a nightmare and the bureaucracy takes away the ability of the manager to keep people on assignment, and removes the mobility and adaptability needed to navigate unexpected production problems.
Let's just say, it's not a job I'd want or personally feel I could do any better in myself in these behemoth dev companies. I just blow smoke in comment sections just as a form of therapy.
Re: Don't Worry, Sony's Most Recognisable Studios Are Still Focused on Single Player PS5 Games
@Nem
Another entry in the stealth genre wouldn't go unappreciated. Only one still around outside of indies is the Hitman franchise, of all things. I'd have lost a bet between on that one.
RIP Metal Gear Solid. Ah, better times...
Re: Don't Worry, Sony's Most Recognisable Studios Are Still Focused on Single Player PS5 Games
@Th3solution
I'm sure - because most companies are taking massive time on these AAA projects - there is of course something to it. More complex, bigger, something like that. A few are more efficient with things, like Capcom and Insomniac so it's not every single one, but most.
But I swear video game development is becoming like the construction industry with the delays and inflated project times. It's really hard to get excited about anything when about 1/12 of your life elapses between each release.
All we can do is joke I guess. Or find something else to do with our precious time. Like maybe a trip to the Sistine Chapel.
Re: Don't Worry, Sony's Most Recognisable Studios Are Still Focused on Single Player PS5 Games
@PSme
Well I just gotta take the L on this. But 4 years though right? That's what I get for going from my own memory and not pre-Googling that. Ninja Turtles ruined me... Well, at least I didn't say Donatello.
Re: Don't Worry, Sony's Most Recognisable Studios Are Still Focused on Single Player PS5 Games
What in John Lennon's name is BluePoint up to? Nearly 4 years and not a peep. In fact, you could say that about half these studios.
I'm just gonna put it out there, Da Vinci painted the Sistine Chapel in four years. With a damn paintbrush, on pulleys. These lengthy release cycles are not cool. What even is that, two games per gen, per studio? What is going on around here?
I wanna talk to the manager lol.
Re: PS5 Is Sony's Most Profitable Console Generation to Date
Thank goodness, I was really stressed out about how this Fortune 500 company was gonna keep the lights on.
How are they generating that record operating income? By giving us what we want? Or just jacking up the prices? Something in between? You decide.
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Required Less Crunch Than Larian Studios' Previous RPGs
@Fiendish-Beaver
It's amazing seeing an EOD technician from the UK, considering our profession originated in WWII and that knowledge was essentially passed down to us from what the UK learned during the Blitz. You guys were the originals! I was in the 420th Fighter Squadron.
I imagine the work is more or less the same. Thanks to our gun culture, we have that extra wrinkle, but the vast majority of it is just wading through people's problems on their worst days. I've only been shot at once in LE, and the guy missed (drunk). I'm always much more concerned about knives.
Anyways, congratulations on your well earned retirement!
Re: Baldur's Gate 3 Required Less Crunch Than Larian Studios' Previous RPGs
@Fiendish-Beaver
Well that is an impressive resume. Yes, some industries - law enforcement in particular - pay no heed to your time or work-life balance.
I enjoyed reading your comment. I was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician for the US Air Force in the 2010s, after that I became a police officer. I have about 7 years in the profession at this point. I can back up everything you say, including the unexpected 16-24 hour shifts being fairly frequent. I just worked a 16-hour shift the other day due to calls piling in (I just work patrol, nothing special). Throw in specialty position on-call duties, like SWAT, K-9, dive team, hostage negotiator, death investigator, and you can kiss your personal life goodbye.
While I understand working insane hours is not exclusive to law enforcement, I believe about 95% of people, especially those working 9-5 jobs, have no conception of how many man hours first responders and not only expected, but required, to work. There is a reason about 80% of LEOs die before 60 due to general health issues. The issue is compounded by the fact that, here in the US, there is a work-your-butt off culture across the board anyways. If you aren't putting 50 hours in a week or more, you aren't really working or you are lazy.
I thought I'd never meet anyone who outworked me before LE. Oh how naive I was. I'm just average by that standard. The culture is you just work until the job is done, and nothing else matters.
Re: Soapbox: Once a PS4 Console Exclusive, PS5 Players Are Missing a Visual Stunner in Hellblade 2
@Stale-Bread
Wow I didn't expect anyone to bring up Vigilante 8 on a PushSquare article today. That's a deep cut right there. Good game. In fact, I think I'd rather play that game than most of what releases today.
Re: Soapbox: Once a PS4 Console Exclusive, PS5 Players Are Missing a Visual Stunner in Hellblade 2
Ninja Theory were always on point with their story telling but gotta say, after playing Heavenly Blade, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, and the first Hellblade - and enjoying them for what they were I might add - their games do lack depth in the gameplay department. Odyssey might be the exception there, I actually really enjoyed that one.
I honestly think the first Hellblade game was too high concept for me. Like there was something really good there that I just couldn't appreciate properly. The mental health angle was never that profound for me because while it was new at the time in games, it's well-trodden ground in books and movies. Sometimes I forget reviewers are different people and they find novelty in things that to me seem iterative, and on the inverse I'm blown away by things sometimes that others don't seem to care for.
Can't be too fussed about graphics in this day and age. I think I have a good read on what this game is from reviews and my past experiences with their games, but I don't want to discount it either as I haven't played it yet myself.
Re: Poll: Will the Rumoured PlayStation Showcase Be Announced Soon?
The thumbnail photo actually got me to laugh out loud. Well done.
Re: PlayStation London Studio Shares a Farewell Message Following Closure
This was never a top tier studio - their games received middling reviews pretty consistently. They never released a game that saw mass appeal or any acclaim beyond a game reaching a limited cult favorite status, like The Getaway games or Blood and Truth. They are right there with Pixelopus and Japan Studio in terms of the role they filled - two other studios which got the axe recently.
And despite that, this closure hurts the most of any yet. London Studio has pedigree as making experimental titles and AA entries - something Sony needs right now, badly. AA games are an endangered species. Nowadays it's either indies or AAA blockbusters that follow a really samey template. We all know the one: Horizon, God of War, Days Gone, Death Stranding, Spiderman.
Now we get barren release schedules between AAA open world cinematic action extravaganzas with RPG-lite elements. It is all so damn cynical. Compare the first party releases on the PS5 to PS1, PS2, and PS3. Where are the Concrete Genies, the Twisted Metals, the Medievils, the Wipeouts, the Motorstorms?
Been playing primarily Sony consoles since PS1. Something is deeply wrong in the house of Sony. I don't like where any of this is going.
Go on, go ahead and shut down Media Molecule already. It's already as good as done and we all know it. So we can get God of War 7: Electric Boogaloo in seven years instead of eight. Gotta make sure the profits grow for the next quarterly results, who gives a damn where the company is in ten years. The shareholders don't care, they will dump the stock from their portfolios as soons as it dips. The execs don't care, they will be retired by then. Why are all the decisions made - TODAY - being made for people who won't be here tomorrow? Money. Money of the short-term variety, is the answer.
I love the smell of capitalism in the morning.
Re: Capcom Hits Record High Profits for Seventh Year in a Row
@naruball
When they are consistently high quality, I don't mind they are all sequels to an existing property. Plus, their established IP pool is so deep they could ride that train forever and avoid franchise fatigue. So many dormant series they haven't touched in awhile. Darkstalkers please.
Re: Capcom Hits Record High Profits for Seventh Year in a Row
Capcom is one of the few big publishers (maybe the only one) that delivers consistently and with a high bar for quality. Fighting games, horror games, action games, RPGs - all top notch in their genre.
It's like they are the one publisher still living in the 90s golden era while all the other big companies became addicted to crack and live in the streets now.
Re: Alan Wake 2 Yet to Recoup Dev, Marketing Expenses as Tencent Raises Stake
I'm just one nobody, but speaking for me only I would have bought it at full price if they had released a physical edition.
Re: PlayStation Studios: All Sony First-Party Developers and What They're Working On
I'm seeing quite a few studios that haven't put out anything in many years and have nothing formally announced.
Re: Random: Vladimir Putin Considers Creation of Russian Gaming Console
Maybe they should do an educational game about good safety practices around windows.
Heard it is a bit of an issue for them over there.
Re: Game Pass Woes for Indie Devs as Microsoft, Epic Funding Reportedly Drying Up
@lightningbolt79
"Why does Push Square publish so many articles about Xbox.."
Because this is a PlayStation news website, and because Xbox is their most direct competitor this kind of stuff is de-facto relevant and important to PlayStation based on how interrelated their business practices and strategies are. What Xbox does and doesn't do affects Sony in a direct and real way.
Or I guess, based on your comment history, what you wanted to hear was PushSquare staff and users are just really biased and are trying to constantly dunk on Xbox for clicks and in a nefarious effort to promote a 90s-esque console war.
I dunno, pick one.
Re: PlayStation Fans Torn on Prospect of PS5 Pro
@Andy22385
Hey that's exciting! I haven't played it (really liked the first one) but now it is definitely on my radar. I think it's on their Extra service right?
Re: PlayStation Fans Torn on Prospect of PS5 Pro
@nomither6
"bring aesthetic/artstyles back to games"
Yes, this. You remember how PS3 got a lot of flack for muddy, washed out color pallettes in AAA games? PS4/PS5 went to this hyper realistic thing recently for AAA. There are definitely these distinct eras of graphical styles throughout the different consoles.
I was referring specifically to graphics but I think the woah moment I was talking about can be other things. Like an ingenious game mechanic. Enemies following your footprints in the snow in Metal Gear Solid or the paint brush mechanic in Okami also hit me the same way. It doesn't need to be just amazing graphics, I think like a lot of people have said the PS5 could offer this through its SSD and integrating that somehow into a novel game mechanic (Rift Apart came close but I'm talking about more than seamless world transitions)
Re: PlayStation Fans Torn on Prospect of PS5 Pro
@Hyena_socks
Yeah agreed! For PS2 it was God of War 2 for me. PS3, it was The Last of Us. PS4, it was Uncharted 4. Games that make you go 'woah' (at least graphically anyways). The only game that came close this gen to doing that for me was the Demons Souls remake and Ratchet and Clank of all things, both launch window titles.
I feel the base PS5 is thoroughly untapped at this point and while plenty of good games have released, no 'woah', moments so far. Maybe we can't expect these big graphical jumps between consoles anymore.
Re: PlayStation Fans Torn on Prospect of PS5 Pro
@Ghostngoblins
They got some marketing geniuses over there I tell ya. Slap 'Pro' on it and you just feel inadequate using anything less. What does it do? Who cares, that's a question an amateur would ask.
80% of the time, it works every time.
Re: PlayStation Fans Torn on Prospect of PS5 Pro
@MikeOrator
I think the post will age okay. A lot of people, particularly in this community, view the GTA series as a soulless cash grab live service abomination that may or may not have caused irreparable damage to the gaming industry by very successfully filling the niche of a mass-appeal, casual game akin to Fortnight for adults.
Okay, I'm projecting a bit. I'm sure it will sell bucket loads. But yeah, there is some kind of anti-GTA bent around here. Loved the single player in 5.
Re: PlayStation Fans Torn on Prospect of PS5 Pro
I bet it sells okay in the end. I'm sure there will be some use case for it for the hardcore / early adopter crowd. Probably something like better framerate, which is negligible and unimpressive for a lot of people (me), but crucial and all-important to many others. Maybe some VR2 compatibility?
Re: Xbox Planning to Release the 'Majority' of Its Exclusives on PS5
I feel like Xbox had all the cards and everything was in place for them this gen. They had leading infrastructure and tech for their GamePass vision, they had the free cash for big acquisitions, they had a capable console with a cheaper alternative for more casual folks entering the gaming sphere, and they had a distinct goal of broadening console gaming to other devices they seem committed to.
There was just one crucial thing missing: the games. A console needs first party exclusive games - to distinguish its brand from the competition, to move consoles, to establish some sort of identity. This is as true today as it was in '95 when the PS1 carved it's way into the market from nothing, with good games and a distinct, edgier, more "adult" marketing approach to distinguish it from Nintendo. They had an angle they worked to get into the market and the good luck for Sega to make some huge business errors in the hardware space.
GamePass is not an identity. It's not enough by itself. GamePass + high-quality, plentiful first party games = Microsoft is the new king of console gaming. They tripped at the finish line. I don't know what omega-level mismanagement has occurred over the past three plus years to result in not a single standout flagship title being released across a multitude of studios, but it needs to get looked at with a critical eye.
No sane person wants Xbox to disappear from the hardware space, as they reign in Sony's less friendly business impulses.
Re: Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
@MomsSpaghetti
Oh yeah, a lot of people were happy with the performance boost, especially people who are keen on framerate. I've heard people sing it's praises and get the arguments for 4k and all that.
I owned one. Bought it due to my base PS4 being pretty aged and struggling at the point. I saw hardly any noticeable benefit at all. But that's me, I think it is a niche product marketed maybe more to technophiles, but to my untrained eye I got nothing out of it except jet fan noises that scared my dog haha. I'm not discounting the value of it, just saying it's meant for people who are not me, possibly more observant people than me.
Re: Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
@gameus_erectus
I think the general argument is those games run poorly because they are not optimized well for the system, not because the PS5 is maxed out. We see those games patched later to have better performance in those cases when they are a mess at launch or don't work well.
I personally can't say for sure because I'm not a game dev but I think the base PS5 has a lot more to give, especially by well optimized games released by first parties. Fingers crossed.
Re: Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
@MomsSpaghetti
That was pretty much THE reason for a Pro, and maybe framerate here and there. Anecdotally, the game specific tweaks I never was too blown away by. I remember Monster Hunter World had a fidelity mode that added more foliage, which was cool. But nothing truly game changing as far as anything I personally played, outside the 4k support (which is a pretty big jump admittedly). I think the benefits of the Pro were pretty overstated... but the triple decker design was neat. Too bad about the jet engine fan.
Some people mentioned it was a pretty big boost for VR games, which is significant if you played a lot of VR.
Re: Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
@RicksReflection
I kinda feel like I'm nuts but I still can't - really - tell the difference between 30 and 60 fps unless it's compared side by side. I guess I might be crazy and I suppose it is to my benefit I can't tell. I can tell when the frame rate dips but that's about it.
Call me the most unobservant person in the world haha, but I have never understood this whole frame rate obsession thing. I know I'm not in the majority on this but I'd like to see improvements in other areas besides just repeatedly focusing on this specific element. I feel like I missed a whole generation because I missed the memo that framerate is king. We used to talk about new gameplay mechanics and "better graphics" between generations as kids. Now we argue about 10 framerate dips in a 60fps game in hyper-technical Digital Foundry videos.
Wild stuff. I'm old.
Re: Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
@DennisReynolds
What the PS4 Pro offered in a nutshell was 4K compatibility. It was needed at the time, as 4K TVs were becoming the industry standard. Granted, the vast majority of games did not actually output true 4k, but it was needed regardless. The PS4 base model hardware was pretty dated the second it launched. By the time the Pro launched it was ancient.
But you are right - in the end, the value proposition for the Pro was 4K and... Pretty much jack all else. The "pro enhanced" modes some games offered were to me negligible and unimpressive.
Re: Devs Allegedly Pondering the Point of Sony's PS5 Pro Upgrade
@nhSnork
Yeah could not agree more. I would say the PS5 has room to grow beyond just upping the frame rate and resolution that so many seem to be obsessed with these days. These marginal, barely noticeable (to me anyways) changes that don't affect the end experience all that much.
What PS5 could do - and where I think PS4 held it back - is as you said the game design philosophy, not resolution or graphics. Namely, utilizing the SSD to create new experiences. We saw this in a limited way with Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart's seamless world transitions, although it was later discovered some trickery was involved there. Graphics are scalable, the core game design is not.
What made it apparent the PS4 parity is holding PS5 back for me was God of War: Ragnarok. The design limitations of the PS4 version (loading screens hidden by tedious segments of squeezing through wall openings, etc.) are naturally present in the PS5 version as well, even though they were not needed with the PS5's SSD. I firmly believe the level layouts would be rearranged for the better and "flow" better in a more seamless way, if the PS4 version did not exist. This is just one small example of many I'm sure. Sort of that old argument that the devs develop to the lowest common denominator and scale what is scalable to the more powerful consoles.
It's a shame that the most impressive games for me in the PS5's library are still the exclusives that came out during the launch window, like Ratchet and Demon's Souls and Astro Bot. Something happened about 6 months in where they just chose to make the PS5 like a PS4 Pro+. It never felt like a generational leap outside of the launch games because they ditched exclusivity pretty quickly. I think it was a practical business decision that hurt the PS5's long term prospects in the end.
Re: Xbox Planning to Release the 'Majority' of Its Exclusives on PS5
@colonelkilgore
Amen to that. I don't like the overall direction I'm seeing with the acquisitions, whether it was Tencent, Microsoft, or Sony. I'm glad it's slowing down now.
Re: Xbox Planning to Release the 'Majority' of Its Exclusives on PS5
@WolfyTn
Yeah opinions are like... Well, you know 😆
Fallout New Vegas was so good. The 4 came in and well... Yeah. Wasn't a fan compared to their previous stuff.
Re: Xbox Planning to Release the 'Majority' of Its Exclusives on PS5
@colonelkilgore
I like Xbox as a brand. Had a lot of good memories doing Halo LAN parties, playing Morrowind / Gears / etc. Good times.
Despite liking Xbox, I never stopped despising Microsoft as a company. For a whole host of reasons that has nothing to do with their games division. The whole Game pass thing to me is nasty, the buying up huge publishers thing is even worse. I get their overall plan, or vision, or whatever you want to call it... And I don't want it.
I want some competition to be around though. Letting Sony of the leash entirely is a future I do not want to see. Hope they can continue to coexist.
Re: Xbox Planning to Release the 'Majority' of Its Exclusives on PS5
I really miss the 360 era. Lot of good Xbox exclusives. I don't know what changed between them and now, but something has got to give.