frabbit

I have no doubt the guys at Rockstar can create something special. I’m not sure when they really kicked into gear, but I do not see this releasing in 2024 😂

@GREGORIAN Nah, I’m a fan. Cool? Cool.

@naruball 😂 fair. But what if I DIE in the meantime?

My feelings on this: I want to play tLoU again, I could pretty much play that game on repeat. I don’t want to pay £70 to play it again when the only change they’ve made is to make it look prettier.

I get that I don’t have to buy it, it’s just that I’m a fan, I WANT to play it because why the hell wouldn’t I want to play the “definitive” version of one of the best games of all time? But they want me to pay £70 for it when the gameplay experience (as far as I can tell) is actually identical. I just can’t get my head around it, it’s so disappointing. Not the game, the game will still be great, the pricing is just ridiculous.

And I also get that Naughty Dog is a business, and that a lot of the players are going to be new to the series and so on, but it still feels like a kick in the teeth for existing fans. 70 quid is not nothing these days. It’s difficult to explain the full thought process for why this is disappointing really but it is 🤷‍♂️

Olly olly oxenfree.

Very good.

Dropped down to Extra as soon as I saw this. It’s obvious to me I’m not going to get value out of that. If they ever get those PS3 games running natively I’ll be back but until then I’ll stick to Extra.

As far as the selection goes for Extra I’m pretty chuffed! PS and Xbox are competing for my attention and PS has it this month for sure 👌

@Titntin I legitimately don’t even check in on Games With Gold anymore!

Happy with this though, been meaning to pick up Crash 4 for a while so I’m glad I held off

My issue with it is that I’ve already played and hit platinum on most of the newer games on the service, and while I’ll dig into a lot of the older stuff over time I’ve already got a beast of a backlog tbh. If you were new to PlayStation though the value proposition is through the roof!

Im very much looking forward to some content on here providing recommendations, classic reviews etc.

800+ games is a great thing to have but much like Gamepass I have subscribed, scrolled, and left a bit overwhelmed on where I should start!

Sure hope there are some first party big hitters coming that we don’t know about because I’m not seeing too much to get excited about.

Stuff like this really makes me think that Sony just doesn’t actually care that much about anything other than the casual gamer. I say casual gamer here not as a pejorative, but simply to mean anyone who doesn’t spend a significant amount of their time on websites like this, regardless of how much they play the console.

I can’t speak to the demographics of the Sony player base in anything but a hypothetical way, but maybe the way that the vast majority of people would have found out about this service (regardless of the marketing cycle) would be when they turn their console on and see it there in front of them. Sony has obviously made the call that not doing a lot of advertising isn’t going to hurt them.

So while it feels to us like a crazy marketing strategy (to have basically no marketing strategy), maybe… we just don’t make up that much of the Sony player base, and we’re not worth advertising to?

Just speculating, and could be completely off the mark but it’s one conclusion that could be drawn.

Id like to see some more of this before I get too hyped. I liked the original but it wasn’t a 10/10 for me. If they can show me something that makes this look like something other than just more of the same then I’ll be on board. I mean, I’m buying it regardless because… what else is there really? But I’d like to see some evolution. Unrelated but it’s the exact same concern I have about BotW2.

@Ralizah well there you go! Thanks 😂

I didn’t start enjoying this game until about 10 hours in to be honest. Generally speaking though 5 hours is pretty generous!

@kyleforrester87 why is the review short though?

Nice review, I’ve downloaded this and looking forward to giving it a bash at some point this weekend.

Unrelated to the actual review, but can we stop calling these “mini reviews”? If you play the whole game and write about it, and it just doesn’t happen to be a big game then it’s still just a review. I dunno, it just always annoys me - as if some games are more worthy of a proper review than others.

Delighted if this is true. Fifa is a great Podcast game for me but I never got round to picking it up this year (or last actually).

Trophy support is realistically the only thing that’s going to make me give the majority of the classic games more than just a glance to be honest.

@jmac1686 I had this when I got a new TV last year and it was doing my head in. I was in the middle of a MGSV replay and at some points it would be so dark I couldn’t see at all.

In the end it turned out to be an issue with HDR, so I just turned it off on the actual PlayStation settings. Regrettable and annoying but I couldn’t find any other way to sort it. Give it a go, it’s better than the alternative and Horizon will undoubtedly still look amazing!

@LiamCroft Did you tell PureXbox? Cos they ain't got nothing up about this lol.

Is this not the worst possible week for the last (and probably next) year that they could choose to re-launch this? 😂 I actually really want to play it with the next Gen patch as it’s been sitting unplayed on my shelf for over a year but come on, it’s Horizon/Elden Ring season, what are they hoping to achieve here?

The article mentions story content - was this something added after launch too? I gave this a bash on release but can't remember a story mode or anything.

I remember actually liking the feel of the driving and the Dual Sense implementation so I think I'll be going back for a look now - I'm getting slightly fatigued with Rocket League as my go-to podcast game so this could be a contender

@Intr1n5ic I get where you’re coming from, but it’s not about that for me. I want Sony to stay competitive and, though not a direct equivalent, Gamepass is over there doing ridiculous things for not much more cash. I’d rather Sony threw on a couple of games that I can’t stand but that the community at large is pleased with than some middling games that most folk are just ‘meh’ about.

The disappointing thing for me here is that it seems PlayStation isn’t being reactive to the climate we’re in. I’m someone who spends a lot of time playing, reading, and thinking about games and the industry and if you’re commenting on here you probably are too. But we’re obviously not the priority demographic for Sony and that’s fine, even to be expected - the vocal minority obviously doesn’t have as much sway as we’d like to think. But when XBox are making such dramatic moves, and Sony squanders an opportunity to win us back even just a little bit… it’s disappointing.

I’m sure the decision for what this month’s games would be was made well in advance of the Microsoft announcement, so perhaps we can expect something bigger and better next month. Probably not though and I’m not holding my breath on that front.

I think I hit the plat after about 70 on the original, not including the DLC which I have saved for the next couple of weeks. Sounds good to me!

As responses go to massive, industry changing news, this is pretty wishy-washy.

@KingPev nice!! It will most definitely kick your ass for a bit but keep upgrading those weapons and get familiar with your favourite pickups etc. and you’ll be bossing them in no time. Wish I could play it again fresh!

@Mostik hey, yeah dude I listen to Giant Bombcast and Sacred Symbols although I agree it is actually a bit preachy. On occasion I find myself agreeing with Colin Moriarty and simultaneously thinking “oh, shut up will you mate”.

Nextlander and Trophy Room are new to me so I will definitely check them out! Thanks

There really should be a podcast with reps each week from the three sites! I listen to a what feels like a million different gaming podcasts from IGN every week yet never go on their site. It would be nice to hear more from the team writing all the articles on these three sites that I actually frequent.

Good video though

I’m down for some mild gameplay spoilers at this point if there are some exciting new mechanics.

Do you think the internet will be so kind as to drip feed me tiny slices of info to whet my appetite right up until release date? No? No, me neither.

@lolwhatno I use it as a general expression. I don't reckon it's limited to use by Christians. If it is I'll be in trouble

Yup, if this is true it's a really strong start and (god willing) a sign of better things to come next year!

@get2sammyb Payday and PS Store Sale on the same day. Such a fortunate and unfortunate event all at once.

Returnal is my winner too, and well deserved I think. I managed to get the plat, and although it didn't take me quite 124 hours lol it certainly kicked my ass all over the place at times! Loved every minute of it.

Never even heard of this F.I.S.T. game so will need to check it out!

Good list

This is fantastic news for me personally, Just got plat on the first three games through the Nathan Drake Collection, and picked up Lost Legacy on Physical as it's the only one I haven't played. I was going to take a bit of a break before doing 4/Lost Legacy to platinum, so I'll just hang off until end of Jan and upgrade both of them for a one-off £10 payment via the physical Lost Legacy I have. Awesome.

The Sexy Brutale is a really cool little game, played it on the Switch a couple of years ago. I’d have gone back for another go for the trophies on PlayStation, and would likely have played Judgement too. Certainly the West have got the short straw this month.

I still find the Godfall situation so weird and infuriating. I would have given the campaign a shot, but not whatever this bastardised endgame edition is.

@theheadofabroom Nah not with the sausage but maybe throw an outsider in the toaster for a mid-morning snack. Covered in butter. Ooft that sounds good haha I've actually not had Mother's Pride in ages.

Come on now, the only breakfast is a roll and square sausage with tattie scone. Glad that's settled.

@LiamCroft Tesco (UK) is doing a bit of a sale at the minute. Ratchet £25, Farcry 6 £35, Sackboy £30. Might be worth giving it a shout out somewhere.

@Fiendish-Beaver Quite possibly doesn't apply to you but on the off-chance... new Ratchet & Clank is on sale in the UK at Tesco right now for £25 if you have a Clubcard

Wait, shouldn't MGS V be on this list? It's more of a next-gen title I suppose, but if GTA V is on there...

Haven't got round to Mass Effect yet, but just replayed the Nathan Drake Trilogy and couldn't believe how well they held up. Even the first one which I had steered clear of because I had heard bad things. Quality stuff though and worth a play through on Crushing!

@naruball Overhyped in this scenario means that I think the publicity pre and post-release that the game received was more than the game deserved for the content of the final product.

Like I said, I didn't hate this game at all, but I think that by virtue of it being one of the only exclusive releases for the console it was over hyped and the final product just wasn't that special. In the context of my original post, I preferred Returnal and think that game was far more deserving of a GOTY nomination.

@naruball Luckily for me I don't defer to you on what is "fine" to think or believe. It's my fairly held opinion about two games that I've played through to platinum. It's completely valid, take it or leave it.

@naruball I wasn't looking for an argument, just expressing my opinion. Certainly didn't mean to offend you, if you preferred Ratchet then fill yer boots. I liked it too, I just think it got more exposure than it deserved.

Returnal didn't get as much hype, but I put 70 hours into it and loved every minute. It was fast paced, challenging, beautiful, and different. Ratchet was very pretty and good fun but I failed to see what all the hype was about.

If it was a matter of making sure PS5 exclusives were adequately represented in the nominations then I feel Returnal deserved the place more.

Returnal is so much better than the massively overhyped Ratchet & Clank. Disappointed with this tbh.

This looks utterly fantastic. I was not hyped for this, and now I am hyped for this. Job done with that presentation I'd say!

I honestly thought Knockout City was a free to play thing. I hate the aesthetic but it has got good reviews across the board, so willing to be won over!

I'll need to do a bit of digging on First Class Trouble as that's a new one to me.

@Milktastrophe Depending on how you judge the value of the game, Stardew could be considered frankly cheap as chips. I've sunk so many hours into it that the initial cost couldn't be more justified. It's got a bit of magic to it once you get yourself invested!

Are we going to talk about the dialogue..?