I do really enjoy the Katamari games, though I haven’t played To a T. It looks quirky and somewhat interesting, though I likely wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it unless it was really cheap. Too many games, not enough money.
That said, PS+ could do a WAAAAY better job of including more indie games into the service. I realize lots of people love getting big, AAA games through PS+, but for me, PS+ is best when it introduces me to games I’ve never heard of and gives me variety.
A co-worker of mine has the Avatar game; he says it’s good, but ultimately is just a re-skinning of a FarCry game. Thoughts? Is he correct or is he full of baloney?
As for the new 3rd person mode and the DLC: If the new DLC were to come out as a standalone game so that I didn’t have to buy the Avatar game first, well, that’d be an entry point I’d be willing to enter. But, unless the main game gets put on PS+ or drops in price to oh, about $9.99, I’ll likely pass.
Nice! As soon as I hear this has been released, I’ll be getting it.
As an aside, the PS5 has NO traditional crossword puzzle games. (Those games by POWGI don’t count as there aren’t typical crossword clues offered.) C’mon devs. Get a clue! 😉
Here’s the idea: Make a “Sony’s Arcade” where the user enters an old 1980s-style arcade, and then put a stand-up Concord machine in there so that you can play some of it. They wouldn’t have to have the complete game of it then…just a couple of locations with skirmishes. If they went this route with the game, they could then incorporate older Sony titles into the mix, too, like Warhawk, Dark Kingdom, Mag, Beat Sketch, Sorcery, Aquatic Holiday, Buzz trivia, When Vikings Attack, Starhawk, Tokyo Jungle, and so on…lots of unique Sony titles exist, and they’d be awesome to bring back in decent-sized doses.
The Vita was great because my daughter could watch her kids’ shows on the tv and I could play a game on the Vita. I do have a Portal but don’t play it a whole lot; I used it a lot on vacation, though, and it works great as an extra PS5 controller when a friend comes over.
I am impressed by its response time—it doesn’t lag, though streaming a game like PS+’s PS3 game Hot Shots Golf World Invitational can be a bit more challenging to get the timing just right.
Is the Portal really popular? The local Pawn America has a bunch of ‘em for sale for $134.99, and they all look brand new and untouched.
My biggest problem with Portal is that it’s big, bulky, and heavy, and my hands get sore holding it for long stretches of time. That said, the vibrant picture is brilliant, the sound is great, the screen is a nice size to see all the graphical details. Battery life is good. I’d love to bring it to work and use it on my lunches and breaks, but I’m afraid it’d be stolen. So, most of the time it sits in its carrying case, which cost an extra $30.
Here’s the three point plan to regain that inner fire and make a game that’ll excite players and make a difference in the real world:
1. License the IP to Sony Interactive Entertainment;
2. Sony assigns BluePoint to remake Just Cause 3; and
3. Avalanche takes the money made (from licensing the Just Cause IP to SIE) and ramps up design and production on a new IP called, get this, “Avalanche.” It’ll be a bit like the Sly Stallone movie Cliffhanger…it’ll include expedition planning and resource management (a la Oregon Trail), crude crafting (a la Far Cry), in-depth triaged injury scenarios (a la Night Shift), extensive usage of real first aid techniques (a la ???) and life-saving surgery techniques (a la Surgery Simulator/Autopsy Simulator), intense mountain climbing (a la Jusant/Uncharted or Tomb Raider on steroids), cave exploration (a la Tomb Raider/Uncharted) with digging (a la Cave Digger), and snow shoe-use, cross-country & downhill skiing (a la Steep).
End result: We’d get the remake of Just Cause 3 we all want, and we’d get an awesome new game, too. Yeah, it’d be totally sweet. 🤣🤣
@LazyDaisy Interesting. I just remember him liking Nintendo back in the days when everyone had a Wii, Microsoft was surging with their XBox 360, and PS3 was struggling. That’s when I used to see Pachter all over the place on the internet. But maybe my memories are misleading me and I’m way off. Hmm.
The PushSquare Pachter pic has to be 6-7 years old, I’d guess. His hair is much more white now, and he looks a bit more grizzled.
I used to enjoy listening to Michael Pachter when he was on YouTube regularly. (If he’s still on YouTube regularly, the videos aren’t showing up in my feed anymore.) He’s an interesting guy, and I disagree with him a lot of the time, but his voice is still worth hearing, if for no other reason than to hear an alternative perspective. I mostly remember that he seemed to be big on Nintendo and then Microsoft…and not so much on Sony.
I’ll just say this: Don’t underestimate the power of the video game console market. People like console systems. I don’t see that changing. Sony is in a good position to continue thriving, but they better not be resting on their laurels or taking their customers for granted. They did that back in the beginning of the PS3 days by overpricing the system, and they struggled to catch up to Microsoft for the entirety of that console generation.
It’d be interesting to have a game mechanic in Borderlands whereby when you pick up a new gun, it might tell you what the gun does, but you only find out how powerful and accurate and recoil-y the gun is by using it, and the more you use it, the more it can level up and improve. That way, you’d always be looking for different kinds of guns with different modifiers in your quest to find that one perfect gun that you really love and then can work to level up. And, of course, the more you use a gun and level it up, the more you could sell it for. Anyway, it’s just a thought.
@StitchJones I remember those days fondly. Back in then, the idea of consoles like the SNES and Genesis reproducing the graphical and sound quality of the arcade versions seemed like such a fantastical, futuristic, fantasy world dream. But, hey, that’s exactly why arcades were so damn awesome: The games there were always waaay better than the home console versions. That said, it never stopped us from buying the SNES/Genesis games. 😁
I distinctly remember scouring through four or five different video game magazines’ previews and reviews again and again—as many video game magazines as I could get my hands on—to compare the graphics and to know which console version got the best review score so that I’d know what to save for. The Genesis version with blood mode—yeah, that was the good one!
Looking back, it’s silly how important it was to me that MK and MKII had blood in them. It was sooo realistic! 🤣
Been hooked on Vampire Survivors for a few months now. Loads of fun, and it seems there’s always something more to unlock. I haven’t played Brotato, but I can recommend Nerd Survivors; it’s also a lot of fun. And Halls of Torment? Looks awesome,
On a whim I bought a game on sale called Nobody Wants to Die. The noir setting and Blade Runner-esque world you’re in look and feel fantastic. I’m only about an hour into the game, but I feel I’ve already gotten my $10 worth. Definitely watch a trailer or read a review on it. I’d never heard of it before, but I’m glad I clicked on it in the store. (I saw it in the Under $15 sale.)
Kinda reminds me of that time when one of the NBA 2K basketball games showed up as free on the online website, so I claimed it and even had a receipt saying it was free…and later got an email from Sony saying, “sorry, it ain’t free, and we charged $60+ to your credit card on file.” Be careful, people. You may be safe…or you may get charged later on and may have to fight a credit card charge. It happened to me. It can happen to you.
SAVE YOUR RECEIPT AND BE SURE TO READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON THE SITE SO YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. Ok, done shouting. 👍
My daughter, back when she was in high school, played Stardew Valley incessantly on the Switch. So, when the PS4 version released, I snapped it up right away with the hopes of having a good father/daughter bonding experience. Up to that point, she never played ANY PS4 or PS5 games with me; she and her friends are loyal to Nintendo, and that was that. Unfortunately, she didn’t invite me to play Stardew Valley with her on her Switch, so that wasn’t an option for me. My PS4 version gathered virtual dust just waiting to be played.
Anyway, by the time the local co-op mode was brought out for the PS4 version of Stardew Valley, she was tired of playing it on her Switch and still wouldn’t play it with me on PS4. Long story short, I’m positive many people will have fun with Stardew Valley, and I’ll play it at some point by myself…but I’m more interested in playing Psychonauts 2 next month. 😀
As an aside, the only game I could ever get my daughter to play with me on PS4/PS5 is Vampire Survivors—fantastic game, btw. Highly, HIGHLY recommended. If you don’t have it, buy it now. And the best part? Four player couch co-op. (Nerd Survivors is also awesome and recommended, but that’s only 1 player.)
@Elock If you get into the Sega Dreamcast, there are a ton of homebrew beat ‘em up games based on Streets of Rage…they use the Beats of Rage engine, and you can find, download and play beat ‘em up games using characters from Marvel, the Simpsons, King of Fighters, Sonic, Final Fight, and Street Fighter, just to name a few. Granted, the games are all fairly similar because they use the same engine, but it’s definitely cool to play a “new” beat ‘em up game you’ve never seen before using characters you know and love. Anyway, it’s one of the reasons why the Dreamcast is so cool.
As for this He-Man game, neat-o. I just hope they keep the price nice—at, like, $19.99 or so…max of $24.99. If they decide to charge, say, $39.99 or more, even the biggest, most diehard beat ‘em up retro game fans will save their money. Yep, they’ll just wait six months or more for the price to drop, and the He-Man game’s initial sales will fly as high as a mercury-filled lead balloon being held in place by, as Queensryche’s “Empire” intro so eloquently said, a “two-ton heavy thing.”
Konami-style beat em up? Konami-style my butt! It’s more like Sega style (a la Golden Axe or Streets of Rage) or Capcom style (a la Final Fight or Knights of the Round).
It’s the first release for the PS5 for GungHo, and they’re a company known for their online games. This game doesn’t fit their typical mold at all. Fascinating.
How about a way to search, sort and filter which games in the online store have couch vs. online vs. no multiplayer options?
I know, I’m wasting my time complaining. I mean, I’m still waiting for Sony to update the PS3 and Vita stores to make it possible to sort my purchased PS3 & Vita games by platform and alphabetically. It’s only sucked for, what, 15 years now? Or has it been 20 yet?
I’d have to delete a lot of really good games I play regularly to make enough space. How big is the download for PS5?
BTW, anyone else miss the Battlefield Bad Company games? I’d LOVE to see ‘em make a new one and really focus on blowing up the buildings and interacting with realistic building/environment destruction damage. I loved the characters, their personalities, and the BF BC games’ humor in the campaigns, but the building damage was what set those games (and Red Faction Guerrilla) apart from other games.
First off, this is exciting for Atari. I love Atari, and I really hope they thrive. That said, I hope they don’t overextend themselves like Embracer did. The good news is Thunderful makes great games, so Atari is getting good quality. For that reason, this acquisition looks like a good investment, and their strategy makes good sense: Acquire good developers that were available at a reasonable price…developers who have made really good games but ones that financially under-performed.
As for Thunderful, Lost in Random is a really good game with a cool art style. My only complaint is that it took too long to get the point where you can finally roll Dicey. If you can get the game on sale for $5-6, it’s a great buy. (Even at $19.99, Lost in Random is a good game. Its quirky art style, interesting story, and cool gameplay mechanics make for a good time.)
I’ve enjoyed many of Atari’s recent remakes and iterations of old IP. If they’re on sale at $5-6, they’re great! For $19.99, though, they’re just ok. I own Asteroids, Black Widow, Berzerk, Yars Recharged, Beyond Breakout, Atarimania, Pixel Ripped ‘89 and ‘95, and Centipede. That said, many of those games could be way better with a just a few more features and enhancements. Don’t get me wrong; the nostalgia factor is there on all of ‘em: The graphics are always clean, the sound is crisp and clear, and the arcadey fun factor is good in small playtime bursts. The “missions” are good; they make these “no real end, shoot for a high score” games have a clear, specific objective—my ADD appreciates goals.
Of all those Atari games I listed, Black Widow is the most surprisingly good game, followed by Yars Recharged and Asteroids; Berzerk is the one that had the most promise but is disappointing because of how much better it could’ve been. If it had adopted more of a Smash TV look and feel…or if they’d thrown in some cool sound effects and features like those in Hyper Parasite, the new Berzerk game could’ve been awesome.
Anyway, it’d be great to see Thunderful do an Adventure remake. And, if Atari has more money, I’d love to see ‘em acquire a company like Drinkbox Studios. Guacamelee, About a Blob, Severed, Nobody Saves the World…all great retro-inspired games that have lots of meat on their bones. That’s the direction Atari needs to go with their classic IPs: Retro-inspired classics revisited with lots of meat on their bones. The current new Atari games are still a bit shallow, and that’s a bummer.
Finally, Atari needs to incorporate a simple theme song that plays when their games load, a la Sega’s logo flash with voices that sing “Sayyyy…gaaah!” or EA Sports’ “EA…it’s in the game!” for their sports titles. Carve out that unique identity, Atari! Make it yours.
I think Marvel Rivals is doing just fine and will continue to be fine for quite a while. For multiplayer with indie games (ir games where the player counts are bound to be low), the games should advertise specific days and times for online play. That way, it builds excitement and interest because the online gaming takes on an “event”-like feel. While it’s true that we all love instant gratification from always available online gameplay, there’s also something to be said about the enjoyment felt from delaying gratification. I know, it sounds stupid, but I think it’d keep indie games’ online gaming scene going longer.
I want ‘em to make a new Patchwork Heroes game. And create a memorable protagonist, one who makes a lot of multi-layered jokes. You know, I want a guy who’s a real cut up.
Oh, please. We all know it’s a new PlayStation All Stars game. Sony is desperate to get in on that Nintendo Smash Bros money, and now that some time has passed since the PS3/Vita game, there are even more characters and IPs that Sony can bring into the fray. And, all major third parties are on board because they know licensing their characters is a quick cash grab and increases exposure to their IPs. In other words, don’t be surprised to see an Activision DLC, Capcom DLC, a Konami DLC, an EA DLC, a Square DLC, a Bandai Namco DLC, a Ubisoft DLC (mayhaps a special DLC with the various Assassin’s Creed protagonists), a Rockstar DLC, an Embracer DLC, and even a DLC or two with characters from indie games.
Of course, I’m making this all up as I go along, but Sony SHOULD make a new PS All Stars game, and Cory Barlog is a great guy to lead the project. 😎
I used to play 1 and 2 on the Dreamcast, and then I got into 3 on the XBox. As for 4, I don’t recall ever playing it; I was kinda done with skateboarding games by then. I might give this 3 & 4 package a try when the price comes down in a couple years—I can wait.
I always hoped the Tony Hawk games would get together with the Atari game 720 Degrees or Ultra/Konami’s Skate or Die or even, say, Atari’s Paperboy for a really cool arcadey mash-up. Alas, it’s never happened, but it’d be great fun if it ever did.
In the past 3 months, Microsoft stock has gone from $354.56 to $497.45. Today, the stock closed at $491.09. To say that Microsoft cares at all about their employees is a joke. It’s all about the Benjamins. (That’s the $100 bills, in US terms.)
But why cancel Perfect Dark? That game would be a major game—and potential $$ windfall—for Microsoft, XBox, et al. Hmm.
I didn’t like the direction the story took, and eliminating the best character in the game fairly early didn’t help matters. That said, from a visual and gameplay perspective—and from a storytelling angle, like it or not—the game excels beyond 98% of all other games that have been released, and that includes games released in the past five years.
I tried the Patapon games through Ps+, but they just didn’t hook me like I thought they would. Maybe Bandai Namco will bring some new life to the series. That said, I really wish Sony would buy the rights to the Katamari games from Bandai Namco. I’d love to see a new entry in that series from a different perspective, and since Sony is so good with implementing their Dualsense haptic controller features into their games, it’d be a great series to do it with.
Releasing a game on Day 1 DOES give the game some needed exposure, that’s for sure. But, why would I buy a game at full price if my buddy got his through regular subscription charges on XBox? It’d have to be a super, super awesome game to justify paying full price, and if I did, I’d feel like a sucker for doing it.
I hate to say it, but the couple of hours of free trial is probably their (developers’) best bet: It gets them exposure, gets them some players to give it a whirl, and if the game is good, it will entice buyers to spend. Problem is, it’s risky: If the game is only pretty good, most people will play it for the couple of hours and be fine with that.
This review reminds me of Nidhogg vs. Nidhogg 2…and Party Hard vs. Party Hard 2. In both of those situations, just like Splitgate vs. Splitgate 2, the sequel is more polished and pretty and SHOULD be better than the original, but it’s missing something—the charm, the spark, the “lightning in a bottle,” the freshness. That’s a bummer, but it happens to the best of ‘em. …Sniper Elite 4 is a masterpiece; SE 5 is a competent release. …Just Cause 3 is dynamite; JC 4 kinda blows. …Homefront is revolutionary; Homefront Revolution is revolting.
I’m ready for a GOOD 4 player couch multiplayer game with lots of mini-games and higher production value. Seems like indie third-party developers are the only makers of these types of games nowadays, and their games are only fun in REALLY short bursts…and usually only one or two of their mini-games are fun (and the rest are crap).
The various mini-game party game collections that usually get released either have too few mini-games on them, the games are dumb, or the games don’t have enough depth or strategy to keep anyone interested in coming back for more.
Knight Squad 2 is the only fairly recent example I can think of where my family and friends actually enjoyed most of the mini-games and wanted to keep playing more than just one or two rounds. I’m hopeful Lego’s game of games is at least as good as Knight Squad 2.
If any developer is listening, here’s how to make an impact in online gaming: Create a four-player couch co-op party game where all four players (on a single console) can challenge another couch team of four players (who are playing on a single console) to an online battle…and make it so the online game only requires one person on each couch team to have a PS+ account.
@crackeastwood Days Gone on PS5 looks a little better than the PS4 version, yes, but the HUGE difference is that the PS4 version had a ton of slowdown. All that slowdown is gone in the PS5 version. It plays exactly as I wanted and hoped it would play: PERFECTLY.
I’m enjoying the remaster—I especially liked the $10 price point when I thought I’d have to pay full price—but I am having ONE issue with the game: I feel like I played it too recently to truly enjoy it to its fullest extent.
I’m a guy who very, very rarely (like never) ever goes back to play a game after I’ve beaten it. Last weekend, I picked up my PS4 disc of Bioshock Remastered and booted it up on the PS5. How long had it been since I played it last? The most recent save file was April of 2018, so I loaded that one. Still, when I started playing it again, it felt like I’d played it maybe a year or two ago. Nevertheless, I incinerated and telekinesised my way through the baddies and Big Daddies to reach the end credits. (FANTASTIC GAME, btw. The game still holds up REALLY WELL…especially the sound effects…WOW!!) And then I re-started—and knocked out about half of—Bioshock Infinite, and I’ll hopefully get through that one this weekend.
Anyway, the point is…I’ve only replayed three or four games in my 48 years on this planet: The two Bioshock games (original and Remastered…though I had never finished either of them on their original version), CoD Modern Warfare (original and Remastered) and CoD MW 2 (original and Remastered) some of Bulletstorm, and some of TLoU Part 1…and a little of Resident Evil 4. So, really, it’s just the two CoD games I played through fully 2x. And that’s it!
So…it feels weird to play Days Gone again so soon. I might have to wait another year or two before it feels fresh enough to really sink in my teeth. For now, I’m just nibbling around the edges.
Personally, I’d love an arcade-inspired Golden Axe-like title, but I’m ok with a 2.5 style Metroidvania game, and that’s when the game should be set, too—between GoW 2 and 3. Ultimately, you just need to set up the storyline so that Kratos on his way to fight against Zeus. Then, fire up some late 1970s/early 1980s disco music by the Bee Gees, throw in a John Travolta dance sequence, and call the thing God of War II I/II: Greece Lightning. And the post-launch DLC level can be called God of War II I/II: Stayin’ Alive.
The Infinite Alliance…but the alliance isn’t infinite until the game releases in 2026. Is it truly infinite if it hasn’t yet begun? Perhaps the alliance has always existed—and always will—but it isn’t until 2026 that Critical Games finally immerses us all in its lore and fleshes out the details with their playable game.
As an aside, this is the type of game I’d love to play on the Vita. I’ll just have to do it via remote play, cleverly disguising my iPhone by scrawling “PS Vita” on the case with a black Sharpie. 😋
Yes! One of the best-looking games on the PS2 with a fantastic cartoony style, yet harder than heck. If you like Castle Crashers, you’ll like Alien Homonid. They’re both by Behemoth, the same creator/developer. Alien Hominid is only two players (not four like CC), though, if I remember right. Anyway, I gladly welcome it back in a fancy new HD version. (Also, if you enjoy Metal Slug games, check this one out.) 👍
Might have to pick up a re-subscription if it’s really 30% off. By the way, for all those “retro” fans out there, it seems that Atari’s new versions of old games (Missile Command, Centipede, Berzerk, Yars Revenge, and even Atari Mania) are on sale right now for $3.50/$3.99 each, with Atari Mania at $7.49. Might be worth picking up!
I remember the first time I saw the beginning of Bioshock. I couldn’t play it longer than 10-15 minutes because of motion sickness, but I remember thinking that underwater world was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. The pulchritudinously detailed, stylish world—wow. Everything just popped off the screen. (And yes, I looked up the word “beautiful” in the thesaurus and it offered “pulchritudinous” as an adjective so I used it.)
Whatever they do with a sequel, if it’s even half as awesome as any of the first three entries, it’ll be a damn good game.
@naruball To Shuhei’s defense, Sony’s first-party $69.99 games are nearly always fantastic games with high production value, so the overall value is pretty good to great. The same can’t be said about all third-party developers’ $69.99 games.
I’ll say this: I started buying video games with my own hard-earned paper route money for the original NES. Whether the game was good or absolute trash, it was at least $39.99. Near the end of the NES’s run, Data East published a few “budget” games for $19.99; I bought one of ‘em called Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum and, at the time, I thought it was crap. (I haven’t played it in 30+ years, so maybe it’s still crap—don’t know.)
My point in telling the NES story is this: We didn’t have a “budget priced” game option for console gaming back then. It wasn’t until downloadable games on PS3 became a thing that developers could pick and choose a lower price point for their games. Now, you can get downloadable games for $1.99, $4.99, $9.99, $12.99, and so on…totally NEW, not used with scratches, smudges, and greasy finger prints that may or may not gum up your console’s disc drive. That—consumer choice with multiple pricing options—is a GREAT thing!
But… Are $70/$80 games a “steal”? Let’s do the math. When comparing a $69.99 video game that takes 20 hours vs. a two-hour $11 movie theater ticket… ——— For 20 hours of movie time, the price would work out to be…$69.99 / 20 hrs = $3.50 per hour. ———For movie tickets at $11 / 2 hrs = $5.50 per hour. So, yeah, the video game is cheaper at a “per hour of entertainment value” rate.*
*That said, I’m not figuring in the cost of the tv, the PS4 or PS5, the cost for electricity, the PS+ membership cost for online play, or the cost to re-charge the controller(s). And, for the movie ticket cost, I’m not including the cost of transportation to get to and from the theater, concessions costs, Real 3D glasses cost (if it’s a 3D movie), or the cost of showering/bathing, deodorant, toothbrush & -paste, hair gel/spray, cost to wash & dry clothes, etc. (because, of course, you can’t go to a movie theater naked, but you CAN play video games at home, naked in your room.) And, of course, not all video games are 20 hours in length, and not all movies are 2 hours. Did I cover most of my bases? Whew.
Bottom line: $69.99 is still a lot of money if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. But, that’s not the world Shuhei knows. It looks and sounds elitist and snobby of Shuhei to say that a $69.99 video game is a steal. If he were making $15/hour and trying to survive like many of us, he wouldn’t be so brazen with his comments. Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for many of us), he’s a multimillionaire (and we’re not), so $69.99 ain’t a big deal (but it IS to us).
You guys said it perfectly: “If a publisher chooses to release a physical copy, then it should at the very least include a playable build of its game on the Blu-ray itself.”
I think it represents a good deal for the consumer, but many people who buy video game systems are parents or grandparents or people who don’t have the background knowledge/experience to know that: 1) a PS+ membership is required; and/or 2) buying this console w/PS+ deal for £679.99 is a £40 savings.
Ultimately, what many people will see with this combo deal is a £200 higher price than the normal system price tag, and that will scare many folks away.
If I were running Sony’s PlayStation division, I’d include a complementary 1 year (or at least 6 month) PS+ subscription in the PS5’s base cost. It’d be a more consumer-friendly move to welcome new gamers to Sony’s system, and it’d free up some $$ or ££ for new owners to buy a game or a second controller for their shiny new system.
…but, hey, what do I know? Ten years ago, I was all for Sony offering a PS4/Vita bundle pack for an extra $50–even if it resulted in a slight profit loss for Sony—just so the Vita system would get into more gamers’ hands. I felt a move like that would spur on Vita’s game sales. And, for developers, knowing there’s an increased Vita owner base, they’d be more likely to create games for the system. It would’ve been a win/win. But, hey, what do I know?
I really wish Sony would make 4 games available for the monthly PS+ selection and allow its users to choose 3 of the 4. That way, if a PS+ subscriber has already purchased one of the games (or if one of the games holds absolutely NO interest), he/she could still download or stream 3 games that month that are new and more exciting to him/her.
I worked my way through Little Big Planet 1, 2, 3, the Vita’s Little Big Planet, Sackboy’s Big Adventure, and Little Big Planet Karting. I kicked @$$ with the sacky fella in PlayStation All Stars on both PS3 and Vita. And, I made that lil guy run like the wind and jump like PS+ subscription prices in Run Sackboy!
Poor lil fella. If only Sony had made the game that truly would’ve kicked the crap out of the competition: Hacky Sackboy: Kick It!
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Re: 'If I Don't Belong in the Games Industry, I'll Have to Look Elsewhere': Keita Takashashi Moves Back to Japan After To a T Flopped
I do really enjoy the Katamari games, though I haven’t played To a T. It looks quirky and somewhat interesting, though I likely wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it unless it was really cheap. Too many games, not enough money.
That said, PS+ could do a WAAAAY better job of including more indie games into the service. I realize lots of people love getting big, AAA games through PS+, but for me, PS+ is best when it introduces me to games I’ve never heard of and gives me variety.
Re: Preview: Avatar PS5 Is Transformed in Third-Person, Expanded in From the Ashes DLC
A co-worker of mine has the Avatar game; he says it’s good, but ultimately is just a re-skinning of a FarCry game. Thoughts? Is he correct or is he full of baloney?
As for the new 3rd person mode and the DLC: If the new DLC were to come out as a standalone game so that I didn’t have to buy the Avatar game first, well, that’d be an entry point I’d be willing to enter. But, unless the main game gets put on PS+ or drops in price to oh, about $9.99, I’ll likely pass.
Re: Shovel Knight Dev Might Live or Die Based on the Sales of Mina the Hollower
Here’s a solution: Sony, pump ‘em up with some funds by making Shovel Knight available on PS+.
But, hey, if they sell Mina the Hollower as it is, it’s not false advertising…it’ll be more hollow than what most people think it should be.
Re: The Next Game from the Makers of GoldenEye and TimeSplitters Is Balatro Meets Scrabble
Nice! As soon as I hear this has been released, I’ll be getting it.
As an aside, the PS5 has NO traditional crossword puzzle games. (Those games by POWGI don’t count as there aren’t typical crossword clues offered.) C’mon devs. Get a clue! 😉
Re: Valve Won't Subsidise Steam Machine, Expected to Be Pricier Than More Powerful PS5
“(The price) is more in line with what you can expect from the current PC market.”
And THAT is why VALVE’s Steam machine won’t overtake Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft as the best, most popular console on the market anytime soon.
Re: Sony Trying to Silence Concord Revival Project After Fans Brought PS5, PC Disaster Back
Here’s the idea: Make a “Sony’s Arcade” where the user enters an old 1980s-style arcade, and then put a stand-up Concord machine in there so that you can play some of it. They wouldn’t have to have the complete game of it then…just a couple of locations with skirmishes. If they went this route with the game, they could then incorporate older Sony titles into the mix, too, like Warhawk, Dark Kingdom, Mag, Beat Sketch, Sorcery, Aquatic Holiday, Buzz trivia, When Vikings Attack, Starhawk, Tokyo Jungle, and so on…lots of unique Sony titles exist, and they’d be awesome to bring back in decent-sized doses.
Re: Poll: Is PS Portal the Biggest Surprise Hit of the PS5 Generation?
The Vita was great because my daughter could watch her kids’ shows on the tv and I could play a game on the Vita. I do have a Portal but don’t play it a whole lot; I used it a lot on vacation, though, and it works great as an extra PS5 controller when a friend comes over.
I am impressed by its response time—it doesn’t lag, though streaming a game like PS+’s PS3 game Hot Shots Golf World Invitational can be a bit more challenging to get the timing just right.
Is the Portal really popular? The local Pawn America has a bunch of ‘em for sale for $134.99, and they all look brand new and untouched.
My biggest problem with Portal is that it’s big, bulky, and heavy, and my hands get sore holding it for long stretches of time. That said, the vibrant picture is brilliant, the sound is great, the screen is a nice size to see all the graphical details. Battery life is good. I’d love to bring it to work and use it on my lunches and breaks, but I’m afraid it’d be stolen. So, most of the time it sits in its carrying case, which cost an extra $30.
Re: After Xbox's Contraband Cancellation, Don't Expect Another Just Cause Game
Here’s the three point plan to regain that inner fire and make a game that’ll excite players and make a difference in the real world:
1. License the IP to Sony Interactive Entertainment;
2. Sony assigns BluePoint to remake Just Cause 3; and
3. Avalanche takes the money made (from licensing the Just Cause IP to SIE) and ramps up design and production on a new IP called, get this, “Avalanche.” It’ll be a bit like the Sly Stallone movie Cliffhanger…it’ll include expedition planning and resource management (a la Oregon Trail), crude crafting (a la Far Cry), in-depth triaged injury scenarios (a la Night Shift), extensive usage of real first aid techniques (a la ???) and life-saving surgery techniques (a la Surgery Simulator/Autopsy Simulator), intense mountain climbing (a la Jusant/Uncharted or Tomb Raider on steroids), cave exploration (a la Tomb Raider/Uncharted) with digging (a la Cave Digger), and snow shoe-use, cross-country & downhill skiing (a la Steep).
End result: We’d get the remake of Just Cause 3 we all want, and we’d get an awesome new game, too. Yeah, it’d be totally sweet. 🤣🤣
Re: PS Plus Looks Better Than Ever After New Xbox Game Pass Price Rises
For a cost of $30/month, it should be more like a phone contract—with a 3 year contract and the user would get the XBox for free.
Re: Sony Is a 'Terrible Company' That's 'Blowing It in the Games Business', Says Michael Pachter
@LazyDaisy Interesting. I just remember him liking Nintendo back in the days when everyone had a Wii, Microsoft was surging with their XBox 360, and PS3 was struggling. That’s when I used to see Pachter all over the place on the internet. But maybe my memories are misleading me and I’m way off. Hmm.
Re: Sony Is a 'Terrible Company' That's 'Blowing It in the Games Business', Says Michael Pachter
The PushSquare Pachter pic has to be 6-7 years old, I’d guess. His hair is much more white now, and he looks a bit more grizzled.
I used to enjoy listening to Michael Pachter when he was on YouTube regularly. (If he’s still on YouTube regularly, the videos aren’t showing up in my feed anymore.) He’s an interesting guy, and I disagree with him a lot of the time, but his voice is still worth hearing, if for no other reason than to hear an alternative perspective. I mostly remember that he seemed to be big on Nintendo and then Microsoft…and not so much on Sony.
I’ll just say this: Don’t underestimate the power of the video game console market. People like console systems. I don’t see that changing. Sony is in a good position to continue thriving, but they better not be resting on their laurels or taking their customers for granted. They did that back in the beginning of the PS3 days by overpricing the system, and they struggled to catch up to Microsoft for the entirety of that console generation.
Re: Borderlands 4 (PS5) - A Chaotic Return That Shoots Straight, Even if Its Performance Stutters
It’d be interesting to have a game mechanic in Borderlands whereby when you pick up a new gun, it might tell you what the gun does, but you only find out how powerful and accurate and recoil-y the gun is by using it, and the more you use it, the more it can level up and improve. That way, you’d always be looking for different kinds of guns with different modifiers in your quest to find that one perfect gun that you really love and then can work to level up. And, of course, the more you use a gun and level it up, the more you could sell it for. Anyway, it’s just a thought.
Re: 'Finish Him': Mortal Kombat Legacy Kollection Launches 30th October on PS5, PS4
@StitchJones I remember those days fondly. Back in then, the idea of consoles like the SNES and Genesis reproducing the graphical and sound quality of the arcade versions seemed like such a fantastical, futuristic, fantasy world dream. But, hey, that’s exactly why arcades were so damn awesome: The games there were always waaay better than the home console versions. That said, it never stopped us from buying the SNES/Genesis games. 😁
I distinctly remember scouring through four or five different video game magazines’ previews and reviews again and again—as many video game magazines as I could get my hands on—to compare the graphics and to know which console version got the best review score so that I’d know what to save for. The Genesis version with blood mode—yeah, that was the good one!
Looking back, it’s silly how important it was to me that MK and MKII had blood in them. It was sooo realistic! 🤣
Re: Popular Vampire Survivors Alternative Halls of Torment Is Auto-Attacking PS5 Soon
Been hooked on Vampire Survivors for a few months now. Loads of fun, and it seems there’s always something more to unlock. I haven’t played Brotato, but I can recommend Nerd Survivors; it’s also a lot of fun. And Halls of Torment? Looks awesome,
Re: 35+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's PlayStation Indies Sale (North America/Europe)
On a whim I bought a game on sale called Nobody Wants to Die. The noir setting and Blade Runner-esque world you’re in look and feel fantastic. I’m only about an hour into the game, but I feel I’ve already gotten my $10 worth. Definitely watch a trailer or read a review on it. I’d never heard of it before, but I’m glad I clicked on it in the store. (I saw it in the Under $15 sale.)
Re: Free PS5 Game Still Not Fixed on PS Store, Claim It While You Can
Kinda reminds me of that time when one of the NBA 2K basketball games showed up as free on the online website, so I claimed it and even had a receipt saying it was free…and later got an email from Sony saying, “sorry, it ain’t free, and we charged $60+ to your credit card on file.” Be careful, people. You may be safe…or you may get charged later on and may have to fight a credit card charge. It happened to me. It can happen to you.
SAVE YOUR RECEIPT AND BE SURE TO READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS ON THE SITE SO YOU KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. Ok, done shouting. 👍
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for September 2025 Announced
My daughter, back when she was in high school, played Stardew Valley incessantly on the Switch. So, when the PS4 version released, I snapped it up right away with the hopes of having a good father/daughter bonding experience. Up to that point, she never played ANY PS4 or PS5 games with me; she and her friends are loyal to Nintendo, and that was that. Unfortunately, she didn’t invite me to play Stardew Valley with her on her Switch, so that wasn’t an option for me. My PS4 version gathered virtual dust just waiting to be played.
Anyway, by the time the local co-op mode was brought out for the PS4 version of Stardew Valley, she was tired of playing it on her Switch and still wouldn’t play it with me on PS4. Long story short, I’m positive many people will have fun with Stardew Valley, and I’ll play it at some point by myself…but I’m more interested in playing Psychonauts 2 next month. 😀
As an aside, the only game I could ever get my daughter to play with me on PS4/PS5 is Vampire Survivors—fantastic game, btw. Highly, HIGHLY recommended. If you don’t have it, buy it now. And the best part? Four player couch co-op. (Nerd Survivors is also awesome and recommended, but that’s only 1 player.)
Re: Preview: Masters of the Brawliverse! The New Retro He-Man Game Hits Hard
@Elock If you get into the Sega Dreamcast, there are a ton of homebrew beat ‘em up games based on Streets of Rage…they use the Beats of Rage engine, and you can find, download and play beat ‘em up games using characters from Marvel, the Simpsons, King of Fighters, Sonic, Final Fight, and Street Fighter, just to name a few. Granted, the games are all fairly similar because they use the same engine, but it’s definitely cool to play a “new” beat ‘em up game you’ve never seen before using characters you know and love. Anyway, it’s one of the reasons why the Dreamcast is so cool.
As for this He-Man game, neat-o. I just hope they keep the price nice—at, like, $19.99 or so…max of $24.99. If they decide to charge, say, $39.99 or more, even the biggest, most diehard beat ‘em up retro game fans will save their money. Yep, they’ll just wait six months or more for the price to drop, and the He-Man game’s initial sales will fly as high as a mercury-filled lead balloon being held in place by, as Queensryche’s “Empire” intro so eloquently said, a “two-ton heavy thing.”
Re: New He-Man Beat-'Em-Up Is the Retro-Style PS5 Game of Your Dreams
Konami-style beat em up? Konami-style my butt! It’s more like Sega style (a la Golden Axe or Streets of Rage) or Capcom style (a la Final Fight or Knights of the Round).
Don’t worry, Capcom and Sega. I got your back. 😉
🤣🤣
Re: Hands On: Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter Feels Like a Huge Step Forward for Falcom's RPG Series
It’s the first release for the PS5 for GungHo, and they’re a company known for their online games. This game doesn’t fit their typical mold at all. Fascinating.
Re: 'We'll Continue to Evolve the PS Store': Sony on Making PS5, PS4 Shopping Better
How about a way to search, sort and filter which games in the online store have couch vs. online vs. no multiplayer options?
I know, I’m wasting my time complaining. I mean, I’m still waiting for Sony to update the PS3 and Vita stores to make it possible to sort my purchased PS3 & Vita games by platform and alphabetically. It’s only sucked for, what, 15 years now? Or has it been 20 yet?
Re: Battlefield 6 Open Beta: All Weekend 1 Start Times and Server Queue Wait Times
I’d have to delete a lot of really good games I play regularly to make enough space. How big is the download for PS5?
BTW, anyone else miss the Battlefield Bad Company games? I’d LOVE to see ‘em make a new one and really focus on blowing up the buildings and interacting with realistic building/environment destruction damage. I loved the characters, their personalities, and the BF BC games’ humor in the campaigns, but the building damage was what set those games (and Red Faction Guerrilla) apart from other games.
Re: Atari Picks Up SteamWorld Publisher in €4.5 Million Investment
Ok, I’m going to ramble.
First off, this is exciting for Atari. I love Atari, and I really hope they thrive. That said, I hope they don’t overextend themselves like Embracer did. The good news is Thunderful makes great games, so Atari is getting good quality. For that reason, this acquisition looks like a good investment, and their strategy makes good sense: Acquire good developers that were available at a reasonable price…developers who have made really good games but ones that financially under-performed.
As for Thunderful, Lost in Random is a really good game with a cool art style. My only complaint is that it took too long to get the point where you can finally roll Dicey. If you can get the game on sale for $5-6, it’s a great buy. (Even at $19.99, Lost in Random is a good game. Its quirky art style, interesting story, and cool gameplay mechanics make for a good time.)
I’ve enjoyed many of Atari’s recent remakes and iterations of old IP. If they’re on sale at $5-6, they’re great! For $19.99, though, they’re just ok. I own Asteroids, Black Widow, Berzerk, Yars Recharged, Beyond Breakout, Atarimania, Pixel Ripped ‘89 and ‘95, and Centipede. That said, many of those games could be way better with a just a few more features and enhancements. Don’t get me wrong; the nostalgia factor is there on all of ‘em: The graphics are always clean, the sound is crisp and clear, and the arcadey fun factor is good in small playtime bursts. The “missions” are good; they make these “no real end, shoot for a high score” games have a clear, specific objective—my ADD appreciates goals.
Of all those Atari games I listed, Black Widow is the most surprisingly good game, followed by Yars Recharged and Asteroids; Berzerk is the one that had the most promise but is disappointing because of how much better it could’ve been. If it had adopted more of a Smash TV look and feel…or if they’d thrown in some cool sound effects and features like those in Hyper Parasite, the new Berzerk game could’ve been awesome.
Anyway, it’d be great to see Thunderful do an Adventure remake. And, if Atari has more money, I’d love to see ‘em acquire a company like Drinkbox Studios. Guacamelee, About a Blob, Severed, Nobody Saves the World…all great retro-inspired games that have lots of meat on their bones. That’s the direction Atari needs to go with their classic IPs: Retro-inspired classics revisited with lots of meat on their bones. The current new Atari games are still a bit shallow, and that’s a bummer.
Finally, Atari needs to incorporate a simple theme song that plays when their games load, a la Sega’s logo flash with voices that sing “Sayyyy…gaaah!” or EA Sports’ “EA…it’s in the game!” for their sports titles. Carve out that unique identity, Atari! Make it yours.
Re: There's Concern Over Marvel Rivals' Player Count, Even Though It's Still Super Popular
I think Marvel Rivals is doing just fine and will continue to be fine for quite a while. For multiplayer with indie games (ir games where the player counts are bound to be low), the games should advertise specific days and times for online play. That way, it builds excitement and interest because the online gaming takes on an “event”-like feel. While it’s true that we all love instant gratification from always available online gameplay, there’s also something to be said about the enjoyment felt from delaying gratification. I know, it sounds stupid, but I think it’d keep indie games’ online gaming scene going longer.
Re: Talking Point: What Do You Want from God of War Maker Sony Santa Monica Next?
I want ‘em to make a new Patchwork Heroes game. And create a memorable protagonist, one who makes a lot of multi-layered jokes. You know, I want a guy who’s a real cut up.
Re: Artwork of Deviation's Cancelled PS5 Project Surfaces
C’mon, commenters! You’re all ripping on the designs and images of a defunct company and IP. For shame!
We all know designs change from conception to production. There would’ve been a Deviation. 😉
Re: Sony Santa Monica's Next Big Thing Not a New IP But May 'Feel Like One'
Oh, please. We all know it’s a new PlayStation All Stars game. Sony is desperate to get in on that Nintendo Smash Bros money, and now that some time has passed since the PS3/Vita game, there are even more characters and IPs that Sony can bring into the fray. And, all major third parties are on board because they know licensing their characters is a quick cash grab and increases exposure to their IPs. In other words, don’t be surprised to see an Activision DLC, Capcom DLC, a Konami DLC, an EA DLC, a Square DLC, a Bandai Namco DLC, a Ubisoft DLC (mayhaps a special DLC with the various Assassin’s Creed protagonists), a Rockstar DLC, an Embracer DLC, and even a DLC or two with characters from indie games.
Of course, I’m making this all up as I go along, but Sony SHOULD make a new PS All Stars game, and Cory Barlog is a great guy to lead the project. 😎
Re: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4 (PS5) - An Imperfect Remake, But a Great Skateboarding Game
I used to play 1 and 2 on the Dreamcast, and then I got into 3 on the XBox. As for 4, I don’t recall ever playing it; I was kinda done with skateboarding games by then. I might give this 3 & 4 package a try when the price comes down in a couple years—I can wait.
I always hoped the Tony Hawk games would get together with the Atari game 720 Degrees or Ultra/Konami’s Skate or Die or even, say, Atari’s Paperboy for a really cool arcadey mash-up. Alas, it’s never happened, but it’d be great fun if it ever did.
Re: Mass Xbox Layoffs Begin, Everwild and Perfect Dark Both Cancelled
In the past 3 months, Microsoft stock has gone from $354.56 to $497.45. Today, the stock closed at $491.09. To say that Microsoft cares at all about their employees is a joke. It’s all about the Benjamins. (That’s the $100 bills, in US terms.)
But why cancel Perfect Dark? That game would be a major game—and potential $$ windfall—for Microsoft, XBox, et al. Hmm.
Re: Poll: How Do You Feel About The Last of Us Part 2, 5 Years Later?
I didn’t like the direction the story took, and eliminating the best character in the game fairly early didn’t help matters. That said, from a visual and gameplay perspective—and from a storytelling angle, like it or not—the game excels beyond 98% of all other games that have been released, and that includes games released in the past five years.
Re: Patapon Remains an All-Time PlayStation Classic in Licensed PS5 Port
I tried the Patapon games through Ps+, but they just didn’t hook me like I thought they would. Maybe Bandai Namco will bring some new life to the series. That said, I really wish Sony would buy the rights to the Katamari games from Bandai Namco. I’d love to see a new entry in that series from a different perspective, and since Sony is so good with implementing their Dualsense haptic controller features into their games, it’d be a great series to do it with.
Re: 38% of PS Plus Members Are Paying More for Extra, Premium
I have premium. Do the lower tiers also get the free movies each month through Sony Pictures Core, or is that a feature that just goes with premium?
Re: 'People Are Less Willing to Pay': Dev Speaks Out Against Day One Releases on PS Plus, Xbox Game Pass
Releasing a game on Day 1 DOES give the game some needed exposure, that’s for sure. But, why would I buy a game at full price if my buddy got his through regular subscription charges on XBox? It’d have to be a super, super awesome game to justify paying full price, and if I did, I’d feel like a sucker for doing it.
I hate to say it, but the couple of hours of free trial is probably their (developers’) best bet: It gets them exposure, gets them some players to give it a whirl, and if the game is good, it will entice buyers to spend. Problem is, it’s risky: If the game is only pretty good, most people will play it for the couple of hours and be fine with that.
Re: Splitgate 2 (PS5) - Sleek Shooter Sequel Is Uninspired Fun
This review reminds me of Nidhogg vs. Nidhogg 2…and Party Hard vs. Party Hard 2. In both of those situations, just like Splitgate vs. Splitgate 2, the sequel is more polished and pretty and SHOULD be better than the original, but it’s missing something—the charm, the spark, the “lightning in a bottle,” the freshness. That’s a bummer, but it happens to the best of ‘em.
…Sniper Elite 4 is a masterpiece; SE 5 is a competent release.
…Just Cause 3 is dynamite; JC 4 kinda blows.
…Homefront is revolutionary; Homefront Revolution is revolting.
Re: LEGO Gives Mario Party a Blocky Makeover on PS5, PS4
I’m ready for a GOOD 4 player couch multiplayer game with lots of mini-games and higher production value. Seems like indie third-party developers are the only makers of these types of games nowadays, and their games are only fun in REALLY short bursts…and usually only one or two of their mini-games are fun (and the rest are crap).
The various mini-game party game collections that usually get released either have too few mini-games on them, the games are dumb, or the games don’t have enough depth or strategy to keep anyone interested in coming back for more.
Knight Squad 2 is the only fairly recent example I can think of where my family and friends actually enjoyed most of the mini-games and wanted to keep playing more than just one or two rounds. I’m hopeful Lego’s game of games is at least as good as Knight Squad 2.
If any developer is listening, here’s how to make an impact in online gaming: Create a four-player couch co-op party game where all four players (on a single console) can challenge another couch team of four players (who are playing on a single console) to an online battle…and make it so the online game only requires one person on each couch team to have a PS+ account.
Re: Days Gone Remastered Gets Another Update on PS5, Here Are the Patch Notes
@crackeastwood Days Gone on PS5 looks a little better than the PS4 version, yes, but the HUGE difference is that the PS4 version had a ton of slowdown. All that slowdown is gone in the PS5 version. It plays exactly as I wanted and hoped it would play: PERFECTLY.
Re: Days Gone Remastered Gets Another Update on PS5, Here Are the Patch Notes
I’m enjoying the remaster—I especially liked the $10 price point when I thought I’d have to pay full price—but I am having ONE issue with the game: I feel like I played it too recently to truly enjoy it to its fullest extent.
I’m a guy who very, very rarely (like never) ever goes back to play a game after I’ve beaten it. Last weekend, I picked up my PS4 disc of Bioshock Remastered and booted it up on the PS5. How long had it been since I played it last? The most recent save file was April of 2018, so I loaded that one. Still, when I started playing it again, it felt like I’d played it maybe a year or two ago. Nevertheless, I incinerated and telekinesised my way through the baddies and Big Daddies to reach the end credits. (FANTASTIC GAME, btw. The game still holds up REALLY WELL…especially the sound effects…WOW!!) And then I re-started—and knocked out about half of—Bioshock Infinite, and I’ll hopefully get through that one this weekend.
Anyway, the point is…I’ve only replayed three or four games in my 48 years on this planet: The two Bioshock games (original and Remastered…though I had never finished either of them on their original version), CoD Modern Warfare (original and Remastered) and CoD MW 2 (original and Remastered) some of Bulletstorm, and some of TLoU Part 1…and a little of Resident Evil 4. So, really, it’s just the two CoD games I played through fully 2x. And that’s it!
So…it feels weird to play Days Gone again so soon. I might have to wait another year or two before it feels fresh enough to really sink in my teeth. For now, I’m just nibbling around the edges.
Re: Rumour: Greek God of War Game Is a 2.5D Metroidvania
Personally, I’d love an arcade-inspired Golden Axe-like title, but I’m ok with a 2.5 style Metroidvania game, and that’s when the game should be set, too—between GoW 2 and 3. Ultimately, you just need to set up the storyline so that Kratos on his way to fight against Zeus. Then, fire up some late 1970s/early 1980s disco music by the Bee Gees, throw in a John Travolta dance sequence, and call the thing God of War II I/II: Greece Lightning. And the post-launch DLC level can be called God of War II I/II: Stayin’ Alive.
Re: The First of SEGA's Retro Revival Games Is Looking Sick as Hell
This looks a lot like Strider, but that’s not a bad thing. I hope it’s good.
Re: One of PS5's Most Popular Games Will Blow Your Mind
Back in my day, we watched the grass grow. Then we’d watch paint dry. But first we walked two miles to and from school, uphill both ways.
Kids these days. Pfft.
Re: Completely Free PS5, PS4 RPG Features Unknown Heroes from Other Games
The Infinite Alliance…but the alliance isn’t infinite until the game releases in 2026. Is it truly infinite if it hasn’t yet begun? Perhaps the alliance has always existed—and always will—but it isn’t until 2026 that Critical Games finally immerses us all in its lore and fleshes out the details with their playable game.
As an aside, this is the type of game I’d love to play on the Vita. I’ll just have to do it via remote play, cleverly disguising my iPhone by scrawling “PS Vita” on the case with a black Sharpie. 😋
Re: The Alien Hominid Series Is Set to Invade PS5, PS4 in June
Yes! One of the best-looking games on the PS2 with a fantastic cartoony style, yet harder than heck. If you like Castle Crashers, you’ll like Alien Homonid. They’re both by Behemoth, the same creator/developer. Alien Hominid is only two players (not four like CC), though, if I remember right. Anyway, I gladly welcome it back in a fancy new HD version. (Also, if you enjoy Metal Slug games, check this one out.) 👍
Re: Sony's Huge Days of Play Sale on PS5 Consoles, Games, PS Plus Subs Starts Next Week
Might have to pick up a re-subscription if it’s really 30% off. By the way, for all those “retro” fans out there, it seems that Atari’s new versions of old games (Missile Command, Centipede, Berzerk, Yars Revenge, and even Atari Mania) are on sale right now for $3.50/$3.99 each, with Atari Mania at $7.49. Might be worth picking up!
Re: Rumour: A BioShock Announcement Is Inbound, and It's a Return to Rapture
I remember the first time I saw the beginning of Bioshock. I couldn’t play it longer than 10-15 minutes because of motion sickness, but I remember thinking that underwater world was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. The pulchritudinously detailed, stylish world—wow. Everything just popped off the screen. (And yes, I looked up the word “beautiful” in the thesaurus and it offered “pulchritudinous” as an adjective so I used it.)
Whatever they do with a sequel, if it’s even half as awesome as any of the first three entries, it’ll be a damn good game.
Re: Beloved Ex-PlayStation Boss Believes $70, $80 Games Are a Steal
@naruball To Shuhei’s defense, Sony’s first-party $69.99 games are nearly always fantastic games with high production value, so the overall value is pretty good to great. The same can’t be said about all third-party developers’ $69.99 games.
Re: Beloved Ex-PlayStation Boss Believes $70, $80 Games Are a Steal
I’ll say this: I started buying video games with my own hard-earned paper route money for the original NES. Whether the game was good or absolute trash, it was at least $39.99. Near the end of the NES’s run, Data East published a few “budget” games for $19.99; I bought one of ‘em called Dash Galaxy in the Alien Asylum and, at the time, I thought it was crap. (I haven’t played it in 30+ years, so maybe it’s still crap—don’t know.)
My point in telling the NES story is this: We didn’t have a “budget priced” game option for console gaming back then. It wasn’t until downloadable games on PS3 became a thing that developers could pick and choose a lower price point for their games. Now, you can get downloadable games for $1.99, $4.99, $9.99, $12.99, and so on…totally NEW, not used with scratches, smudges, and greasy finger prints that may or may not gum up your console’s disc drive. That—consumer choice with multiple pricing options—is a GREAT thing!
But…
Are $70/$80 games a “steal”? Let’s do the math. When comparing a $69.99 video game that takes 20 hours vs. a two-hour $11 movie theater ticket…
——— For 20 hours of movie time, the price would work out to be…$69.99 / 20 hrs = $3.50 per hour.
———For movie tickets at $11 / 2 hrs = $5.50 per hour.
So, yeah, the video game is cheaper at a “per hour of entertainment value” rate.*
*That said, I’m not figuring in the cost of the tv, the PS4 or PS5, the cost for electricity, the PS+ membership cost for online play, or the cost to re-charge the controller(s). And, for the movie ticket cost, I’m not including the cost of transportation to get to and from the theater, concessions costs, Real 3D glasses cost (if it’s a 3D movie), or the cost of showering/bathing, deodorant, toothbrush & -paste, hair gel/spray, cost to wash & dry clothes, etc. (because, of course, you can’t go to a movie theater naked, but you CAN play video games at home, naked in your room.) And, of course, not all video games are 20 hours in length, and not all movies are 2 hours. Did I cover most of my bases? Whew.
Bottom line: $69.99 is still a lot of money if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. But, that’s not the world Shuhei knows. It looks and sounds elitist and snobby of Shuhei to say that a $69.99 video game is a steal. If he were making $15/hour and trying to survive like many of us, he wouldn’t be so brazen with his comments. Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for many of us), he’s a multimillionaire (and we’re not), so $69.99 ain’t a big deal (but it IS to us).
Re: Reaction: Game Key PS5 Discs Are a Disgrace, and Sony Should Put a Stop to Them
You guys said it perfectly: “If a publisher chooses to release a physical copy, then it should at the very least include a playable build of its game on the Blu-ray itself.”
Amen.
Re: PS Plus Premium Sub Is the Highlight of New PS5 Console Bundle
I think it represents a good deal for the consumer, but many people who buy video game systems are parents or grandparents or people who don’t have the background knowledge/experience to know that: 1) a PS+ membership is required; and/or 2) buying this console w/PS+ deal for £679.99 is a £40 savings.
Ultimately, what many people will see with this combo deal is a £200 higher price than the normal system price tag, and that will scare many folks away.
If I were running Sony’s PlayStation division, I’d include a complementary 1 year (or at least 6 month) PS+ subscription in the PS5’s base cost. It’d be a more consumer-friendly move to welcome new gamers to Sony’s system, and it’d free up some $$ or ££ for new owners to buy a game or a second controller for their shiny new system.
…but, hey, what do I know? Ten years ago, I was all for Sony offering a PS4/Vita bundle pack for an extra $50–even if it resulted in a slight profit loss for Sony—just so the Vita system would get into more gamers’ hands. I felt a move like that would spur on Vita’s game sales. And, for developers, knowing there’s an increased Vita owner base, they’d be more likely to create games for the system. It would’ve been a win/win. But, hey, what do I know?
Re: Poll: Are You Happy with Your PS Plus Essential Games for May 2025?
I really wish Sony would make 4 games available for the monthly PS+ selection and allow its users to choose 3 of the 4. That way, if a PS+ subscriber has already purchased one of the games (or if one of the games holds absolutely NO interest), he/she could still download or stream 3 games that month that are new and more exciting to him/her.
Re: LittleBigPlanet Erasure Continues as Sackboy Removed from PlayStation Productions Logo
I worked my way through Little Big Planet 1, 2, 3, the Vita’s Little Big Planet, Sackboy’s Big Adventure, and Little Big Planet Karting. I kicked @$$ with the sacky fella in PlayStation All Stars on both PS3 and Vita. And, I made that lil guy run like the wind and jump like PS+ subscription prices in Run Sackboy!
Poor lil fella. If only Sony had made the game that truly would’ve kicked the crap out of the competition: Hacky Sackboy: Kick It!