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Just a few hours in, so jury out on a lot of things, except graphics....holy....crap... Insanely good looking...insanely. Makes Heavy Rain look a gen behind. Imagine the implications for free roam next gen (this good ) and this style next gen (beyond real).

However, marketed all wrong. Should push it as interactive movie. THIS is how you "enter the livingroom" not by replacing a cable box, but rather replacing some of what the cable box pipes in, with something similar but with interactivity.

Follow this style a few iterations in the future and the possibilities are amazing.

At first I hated trophies....the tolerated them...then liked them...then loved them. Would hate if they changed too drastically.

@get2sammyb thanks Sammy. Had this preordered forever, figured on it being divisive like HR, but early reviews had me nervous. That said, your reasoned and logical approach was needed and appreciated. Ready to go pick up the preorder.

Ummm...voice of reason here people...but how is the likes of Octodad outranking Beyond: Two Souls?

Cleaning up whatever GTA V single player stuff I have left (not much). Then probably gonna finally start GOW:Ascension, while it has remaining wow factor pre-next gen. However, I better play fast, because Beyond: two souls is coming on tuesday!

Looks kinda awesome...but kinda overly busy. Does it end up just feeling like too much going on at once? Or is it something that flows naturally?

I personally find the peripheral indispensible on the PS3, though that's probably where I'll continue to watch blurays...so maybe this doesn't matter. I think one of the reasons for incompatibility is, on the one hand they can't ignore the need to refresh the product to specifically match the functionality of next gen, on the otherhand they can't afford to do that if no one ends up buying it.

@Jaz007 I strongly disagree. Open your mind.

I think it's superb. Had been pimping the same essential concept for a ps4 Sly Cooper game. It could be incredible.

Annnnnnnd thus my skepticism of an all digital future for game distribution.

Just wait for the power of Microsoft's cloud! That'll fix it! Ugh.

@hydeks Yeah, I get that...but launch day is a big deal. Take me, for example, I have it preordered. One week earlier I will have stood in a 6 hour line to get my PS4...the day Tearaway drops, I would have to tear myself away(pun intended) from that PS4 to go wade through a 6 hour line of Xbox enthusiasts to pick up Tearaway? No.

I'll still get it, but will pick up the pre-order a day or two later. Just saying that for many people to get this game, especially being launched on such an under appreciated platform, it's suicide to release it a week after PS4 and on Xb1 launch day.

Like, actually, it comes out Xb1 launch day...so am I going down to the game store to wait in line for this preorder? This is beyond insane timing. They should change the release date of this game.

Preordered...yet this part of me is still skeptical. I don't know why. I could totally see it blowing me away afterall, but for some reason, a week after PS4 launch, not sure this will set the world on fire. Hoping for them though, genuinely.

Have it pre-ordered... Really bummed to hear about the visuals. I know it's still early, but man the PS4 is so much more powerful than that description. Will still have fun with it, but devs have to step it up for post-launch titles. Fence straddling the generations better not become a long term trend.

Yeah guys, this was definitely just for fun.

So damn funny. Looks like a fun crew.

The game is definitely still in development. This has been confirmed recently. The question becomes "when will it be announced?"

I think it's probably likely to be announced at next E3...or the one after...

Yeah we don't have much to go on, except that announcing it too early likely taught them a lesson last time, so I expect the next time we hear about it to be within a few months of it's release.

I dunno what to make of this. Some reviews have criticized that there was excessive resource management elements. I'm intrigued but will probably wait for a sale.

Gta V of course and still enjoying Killzone Mercenary on the Vita.

@LDXD @eliotgballade

I understand the humour of pointing out this seeming contradiction, but my point is valid.

Reviews have never been a measure of perfection. Firstly the concept of artistic perfection is entirely subjective. Secondly if games were held to any sort of standard of perceived perfection they would all have terrible scores.

Games are, ideally, rated in two ways. Firstly, they are compared relative to their competitors, and secondly they are rated to reflect the "degree to which the reviewer recommends the game."

So, let me be the reviewer and provide perspective relative to that criterea.

Compared to it's peers: the game's shooting is weak but has good driving(grew on me) incredible characters, story, missons, environment, music and replayability. How can I give borderlands 2 an 8 and this anything less than 10? The shooting in Borderlands is undoubtedly superior, but having flaws doesn't mean a game isn't at the pinnacle of it's genre (I know there are better direct comparisons but I just finished Borderlands 2 and it jumped to mind)

The second, degree of recommendation: My highest. There is something here for everyone. Will the next gen versions have better framerates? Yes, but today, as of now, these are the available versions and you gotta play them!

Make a little more sense?

How about including a reversible sleeve in games with the upgrade code. That way the game can move from the ps3 collection into the ps4 collection.

This game is a 10.

No, it isn't perfect. It's actually extremely flawed. That said, the experience is incredible and the good outweighs the bad to an extreme degree.

My only major beef? Where are those Max Payne 3 shooting mechanics? Extremely disappointing that this is still some of the worst 3rd person shooting out there.

That said, the game, as a whole, rises above these flaws. That is a testiment to the insanely huge scope and quality of the overall product.

To those who say hype, I disagree, the first few hours I was almost ready to give it a 7 . That 's the thing about open world games though...they take a bit of time to draw you in.

That's ok I guess....

Just kidding! Amazing news! Only question is: when can I preorder this?

The thing is, it's imperfect, but addictive. That's the open world game effect.

I like it a lot more than other open world games 5 hours into them. Since they all have a long warming up period, it might be one of the best ever.

I will say though, mission failures still seem a tad arbitrary at times and the graphics definitely don't live up to the pre-release hype. It looks great but the framerate seems to spend a fair amount of time at around 20 in driving sections...that was one major beef with IV, so pissed it's not fixed. Though it's so much bigger and better looking, so not surprising.

My guess is, running on next gen hardware, this game would be an instant slam dunk, just for the added smoothness. That said, I have a feeling that my review will be very favourable for this version when all is said and done.

@Sanquine Bingo.

It's "cool" to trash Knack. Truth is I think it's "blandness" is actually pleasantness. I think this is the kind of game that ends up fitting you like an old favourite t-shirt. I have it on pre-order, along with a bunch of other stuff admittedly, but looking fwd to it.

@Alpha dude, it's a GTA game. It will probably offer like $300 in play value(when measured in quality gaming hours), at least. $60 is a steal for GTA games.

@Gemuarto I knew Mass Effect would come up. I adore the game, but there are tradeoffs for the character system. The story is more 'videogame' and less 'Hollywood.' I love both styles but it's unfair to judge a game outside it's genre. It would be like saying that Gran Turismo is lacking Power ups on the tracks.

It is subjective though, admittedly.

@Gemuarto can't really create your own characters in the narrative style. The games are open world but the stories are basically linear.

To me, this works amazingly well. People think 100% control will lead to 100% entertainment. To me it's about balance. Playing someone's vision is half the point.

@Get2sammyb LMAO! We both chose the word "blasphemy." Sanity tests? Aced by us.

@Gemuarto...RDR is bad? Hmm wow.

I LOVED Gravity Rush. Amazing game. Yet comparing RDR unfavourably to it is blasphemy, in my view.

@TOMBOY25 if a game had to be perfect to get a 10, then you might as well strike 10 off the scale, since it's literally impossible. So let's say, on the scale of 1-10, only 9.75 would be technically possible. Then, 9.75 would become the highest score and therefore as close to perfect as possible. In time, it would come to define "perfect" and then be, yet again, unattainable.

In order to satisfy the reality that nothing is without merit and nothing is perfect the scale would have to be .25 - 9.75 or whatever. It's pointless, as definitions would realign with every scale change.

It's all subjective and time makes fools of us all but a review score is, at it's best, a "degree of recommendation" not an "objective evaluation of quality."

@get2sammyb yes exactly. The problem most people have is that the boundaries IV pushed were embraced by newer, more advanced, games and as the years passed the innovative qualities the game had which redeemed the technical flaws(which were far less unforgiveable at the time as well) now seem stale. Innovative games often have this problem, in that they seem, and indeed are, weaker than their copycats.

Also, open world always ages worse, at least for now as there is so much more to account for in streamlining those experiences. The very nature of openworld today is overlooking limitations, so as each game comes out and conquers a limitation it seems to render it's predecessors primative.

Linear games tend to have less demons, therefore tend to get judged on their successes rather than failures.

@Faustek you know what man? Just this convo alone has significantly increased my excitement for Deep Down. I'm really looking fwd to what they have in store for us.

@Faustek yeah, you raise some good points. Though, I think "realistic" is being in an over simplified way. Essentially, what I think they mean is "as expected." So if you are crossing swords a lot there might be a chipped section on the blade. On the otherhand if you are halving loads of enemies, the blade might get generally dull. If your thrust the tip at an enemy by hit a stone wall instead perhaps the tip could snap? I assume that's what they mean, just that the type of use will effect the wear patterns in ways you'd expect to see. I don't think they mean it will happen at real world rates, necessarily.

@Ginkgo yeah, I agree about the MS-but-worse vibe lately. Though, despite trying to fix things on some levels, MS still does enragingly dumb things, like trying to convince people that "specs lie" and that "cloud computing "will fix the gpu problems. I don't like when people are coaxed by companies into embracing the illogical. You even see some hardcore fanboys believing this stuff and getting legitimately angry at sane, objective people who they are convinced are "Sony Fanboys" and "the worst kind of fanboy." Yet most of their sworn enemies are just technology fanboys who are just accepting reality. Microsoft should have spent more time preparing for next generation, they were fooled by the naysayers who claimed console gaming was dead. Luckily Sony didn't buy into that same hype, because console gaming is stronger than ever, and I'm not the least bit surprised.

I honestly think much of the hardware design seen in the launch xb1 came as a reaction to Sony's announcements, and it not only speaks to an overall lack of cohesive strategy but it makes me wonder what the fail rate might be on first gen units.

EA has really earned their awful reputation. They really suck. Not necessarily commenting directly on this article, per se, they've just been getting on my nerves a lot lately. They have some good ips in their stable, but they reek of a company headed in a questionable overall philosophical direction.

I have such a mixed bag of emotions toward this series. Sometimes I love it, sometimes I hate it. I won't play it for ages, then play it constantly for weeks on end. I have no clue what my deal is. Do I want 6? Even I don't know.

This story has been brewing for months and is obviously true. Microsoft decided to take a page out of Nintendo's book and be more profitable per unit at launch. (Or at least selling at less of a loss).

This was a bad strategy.

I love the inventiveness. The whimsey is great. The retro spirit is wonderful.

To the point: some of the platforming is a bit broken. Most of the times you die in the game aren't your fault.

I do like the game an awful lot. I just wish they'd cooked the controls a little longer.

Yeah, this whole subject is kinda pissing me off. I can't/won't wait for a PS4 version, but at the same time, I don't like the idea that a superior version might be so close by. All other cross gen titles, I'm buying next gen. I kinda feel like my wallet is getting double dipped, if this is true.

@Ginkgo yes exactly! Aside from the obvious desperation of using specs to make the argument that specs don't matter...the core of this latest MS PR fiasco is based around a one sided public argument.

Like you said, Sony isn't having this discussion... So what info is MS even going on? How can they address Sony clock speeds to begin with? Why optimize in these tiny incremental ways and then make such a public issue of it?

The reason is simple. They are comparing their final product to what information they've snaked out of Sony dev kits. Not only is that not final hardware, but the desperation to prove they aren't lagging behind can only be an argument vs developers themselves, since Sony isn't saying anything and consumers don't have units or generally understand specs.

If devs are saying 30%, it's probably more or less accurate.

Microsoft needs to calm down. I think lady doth protest too much.

Yep, loved Heavy Rain so damn much...and looking insanely forward to this, but I'm with the group in saying that GTA 5 takes the sting off the wait.

This is good/bad/unknown. Truthfully, as much as I like the form factor of Vita, I switched to a "trigger case" a few weeks ago and haven't looked back. Sure I had to make a custom case because my crystal case is now useless, but wow, the trigger case is amazing as hell. So yeah, if my Vita crapped out and I had to buy this new model, the trigger case wouldn't fit, that would suck. Also not sure about the LCD change. On the otherhand the lightness and better battery life are good features. Also, the built in storage, though small, is overdue.

@8vpiper yeah that's one of the genius features, the ability to play ps4 anywhere in the house, on a tv. Also as a sort of Ouya competitor it scales up in functions. This is the only "micro console" that ever made sense to me.

@ShogunRok Ok, cool thanks. Had it preordered for ages anyway. Sometimes more casual games can be fun anyway. Nice change of pace.

I dunno. It weirdly intrigues me. Started off kinda meh, and despite subsequent footage/framerates not dazzling me, my interest in the game is still growing a bit.

Robert, is this critique of the difficulty based on the "normal" setting or "hard"
." Just want to know what to expect when I start playing tomorrow. Good review btw.

@ztpayne7 congratulations dude!

I'm playing Guacamelee on the Vita. Man, is it ever awesome!

Not sure. Depends on the implementation. Part of me thinks this is just a figurative and literal headache. We'll see.

@Party_Cannon yeah, I do suspect that after people have more time with the rpg elements and the patch or patches settle in to address the tech issues, this will be one of those games people look back on and say "oh yeah, it only had a 77% average, it was underrated." Besides, if you drop the lowest score, a ridiculous 55%, and calculate the average it would currently sit at 79.95% and that is effectively an 80%. Not saying people aren't entitled
to their opinion but some reviews really to compromise a game's legacy for their
own vanity.

Has anyone noticed that the reviews are overwhelmingly positive for this game? Yet it sits lower than tons of games with "fun but flawed" reviews?

I know it's only reviews, but hell the Vita deserves a game that gets it's due.

NowGamer, the reviewer that gave it this awful score that brought it below 80, has gives an average score of 73 over the course of 76 reviews. So Killzone mercenary is 18% points worse than the AVERAGE game they review and 25% points worse than the average Mercenary score, minus theirs? It's just irresponsible.