kcarnes9051

@UncleByron It's good to hear other people get what the game is going for because some of these takes are just baffling and suggest a severe lacking in media literacy.

It's kind of like how people criticize the game for its split narrative and how it ruins the pacing.

Like, that's kind of the point. It's supposed to jarringly mess with the pacing.

The game is trying to trick you into thinking that this is a revenge fantasy where we're solely rooting for Ellie and that is no more complex than that and we're driving toward that goal.

Then the game slowly starts making us commit abhorrent acts to make us question what we're doing as Ellie.

And Jesse gets unceremoniously shot in the face and we're supposed to feel like this isn't worth! What have we committed ourselves to?

Then the game pulls the switcheroo, and it's supposed to put us on our back feet, it's supposed to make us want to object to walking in the same shoes of the person who killed member of our tribe, Joel and Jesse.

And then the game dares us to live out the life of this murderous member of another tribe that we hate. And it dares us to try to understand where she's coming from and the horrors she's endured to push her to do the things she does.

It's a depressing story but I ultimately walk away with a positive message of trying to see the way the other side sees events, to try to understand where someone is coming from in a conflict regardless of whether they're justified or not, to realize that people in both sides of a fight have grievances that may seem revenge worthy from their perspective. And in these situations, it's worth stepping back and taking a breath and trying to be clear-eyed and sympathetic before letting situations spiral out of control.

In any case, a split narrative that doubles back from another perspective typically doesn't work well . . . unless it's done for a specific thematic reason. In this case it was.

It's a classic example of breaking rules in storytelling when you have a distinct reason to break that rule.

@RS1 The game is in no way shape or form saying that Joel killing Abby's father and Abby killing Joel are morally equivalent.

The game does want you to understand how a human being can be pushed to blindly wanting revenge after an act of violence is committed against a family member, regardless if they deserved it or not.

The game is not trying to convince you that Abby is totally justified or as justified as Joel was to save Ellie. It simply wants you sympathize with understanding why Abby is doing what she is doing as she justifies it from her perspective.

The game doesn't want you to see it just from your perspective. The game wants to limit you and narrow your perspective to just what Abby is perceiving and feeling.

@nessisonett, "Dunno, it depends," is probably the most shallow take on the game and its story you could probably gather from it and suggests you're not making an honest effort to actually engage with its themes.

TLOU2 is about more than revenge or cycles or tribalism or morals, or perspective, etc. It is definitely all of those things. But on a deeper meta-analysis, it is about simulation by making the player act out a revenge, making the player question the brutal actions they're justifying in the game world, and making the player question their own moral motivations from various perspectives that the game forces them to embody.

It is not just about Ellie's and Abby's tribalism. It is about the player's tribal relationship with them.

It is not just about Ellie and Abby's moral decisions. It is about the player's moral outlook on how we relate to them.

It is not just about Ellie and Abby's perspectives. It is about the players perspective.

What makes this game genius is that it uses the distinct advantages of video game medium, ie simulation, and it tells a story about morals and the like that we don't just read but we participate in.

Take for example the key moment where you have to beat Nora to death in the hospital. This moment isn't just about the lengths someone will go to achieve revenge.

This moment is about forcing the player to do something so simple and menial yet abhorrent to progress the game. All you have to do is simply press square to beat someone to death and progress the game. It's meant to actively involve the player in the dehumanization of Nora with the simple press of a button to push forward both in revenge but also in game progression.

It ties the need for game progression to the act of revenge and dehumanization. And it makes us as the player feel and embody how easy it is to slip in the mental state of someone who can so easily dehumanize another human being.

And this aspect of simulation extends into almost every aspect of the game from various angles as they relate to the various themes above.

I can't point to any other piece of media that achieves this same effect and makes the player feel so deeply that they are an active participant.

I don't see where in any of these quotes it says that the next console will be a PC. If it were a PC it would be able to do word processing, image editing, etc. There may be some PCs that are optimized for gaming, even with silicone specifically developed in conjunction with the Xbox team, but that doesn't make it a console. It's still a PC. There will still be standalone consoles that are just for gaming and media consumption. And it's indicated that those consoles will also be able to run GOG, Epic, etc. But that still does not make it a PC. A PC runs other types of programs. So there will be PCs in the lineup of Xbox branded and designed hardware that run a variety of software. But there will still be a console for those that want plug and play. That's what I take from this.

@rjejr I think that it's stated or at the very least implied that the handholds were installed by previous expeditions. That's why they're not just rock handholds and rather why they look like devices mounted to the rocks.

In a journal you can find it mentions a climbing expedition that set up the grapple anchor points, and you even find an expedition bodies and an item with a bunch of climbing equipment laying around. Can't remember if it explicitly states the climbing handholds, as well, but it would make sense lore wise. In any case, I think that's why they look the way they do.

In older RPGs, there would be times where the way forward isn't super obvious. It's intentional to create some level of difficulty to exploration requiring observational skills, even if at times it's frustrating. Clair Obscur intentionally pulls inspiration from past RPGs like this.

I missed a couple handhelds as well that I eventually found with further exploration, but never blamed it on the game. I blamed it on my observational skills in the moment and I viewed it as a challenge and an intentional game decision. Plus, it kept me searching, and I found other secrets because I momentarily couldn't find the main path forward. That's by design.

Anyway, to each their own, and honestly its a small quibble however you slice it.

@rjejr I think the intent of the handholds is to actually make them a bit hidden at times, to give traversal through the world a little bit of a challenge, and because they lead to special items. The paths are supposed to be a discovery. The game design is one that rewards exploration and searching. They don't want to serve everything to you on platter and make the handholds jump out at you.

For me, The novelty of gaming subscriptions wore off after a year when I realized I can't really milk as much value out of them as it would seem. I'm all about buying used physical copies now that I can resell and keep my hobby relatively cheap. I mostly play one game at a time, so the convenience of switching between games quickly sounds nice, but in practice I wouldn't use it all that often.

@themightyant There are often lanterns throughout the world that for the most part lead you in the correct direction. They use these environmental markers in lieu of a map. When there aren't lanterns, there aren't that many routes you can go down anyway. Using these with a little bit of spacial awareness and a willingness to explore, navigating the world isn't that hard. My biggest complaint when it comes to navigation is that after talking to someone (and I think when you use a flag to rest) it will change the way you are facing, which disorients which way you're making your way through an area.

It absolutely does not render the advantage of physical redundant. YOU CAN STILL RESELL THE GAME.

@betasector I was just camping with 15 friends over the holiday. Most of them fans of the show. But none of us watched the finale for the obvious reason we didn't have reception. So, yes, the finale was majority impacted by the holiday weekend. This isn't to say that viewership hasn't dropped. Just not as much as indicted by these numbers.

I’ll say it, again, make a turned-based FF with iterative mechanics like Clair Obscur using Yoshitaka Amano animated art style instead of emo j-pop super realism. Bring back parties and elemental weaknesses. Use a tasteful amount of mini games. Ditch the braindead side quest open world bloat. Prioritize a fantastical story that nails the ending. Stop using FF as window dressing and actually utilize the gameplay elements that built the fan base and watch the money stream in based on word of mouth alone.

@KundaliniRising333 If you want to play the game and resell it then you would want to buy physical regardless if it requires a download or not. How are people not understanding this.

@Nepp67 Even if the game requires a download with the physical copy, you can still resell it. That would obviously be why you would want to buy physical in this circumstance. Or if you like collecting box art.

Just here to give Eternal some love since it seems to get a lot of hate. Thoroughly enjoyed it and the platforming. Thought it was a great addition, built on the first game in a good way, and mixed up the gameplay. Excited to play this new release but it sounds less dynamic for the platforming omission.

@DennisReynolds Love the game, but I don't think that a small main team necessarily excuses all criticism when they're already outsourcing portions of the development. Everything else about the game is rather polished. It's just strange to me that the heavily featured main protagonist's face feels so unpolished. I'm curious what it was about the shadowing on his face on a technical level that was so difficult and out of the budget to fix.

@Stamp_Monkey Other RPGs have had QTEs as far back as Legend of Dragoon, which this game draws inspiration from, among others. So it's only separate from other RPGs insofar as it's a sub-genre of sorts. (The recent indie Sea Of Stars has similarities, although it's easier.) By skipping the QTEs, you are missing out on a significant part of the challenge and what makes the combat intensely exhilarating. COE33 leans more on the QTEs than most and has Souls-like timing of enemy windups. So you will die as you learn the timing of attacks. It's intended to be part of the experience and the satisfaction of finally nailing it. Luckily, the runbacks to bosses in this game are exceptionally short and it autosaves often, so you can retry often without having to waste time running back from the last save point. Eventually it will click if you have some patience and lean into the learning curve. It's definitely surmountable.

@themightyant Like I said, I’m mostly surprised others have not piled on it when it jumps out at you. It’s hard not to notice.

In any case, loving the game otherwise. It’s an example of iterative turn-based combat design that I’ve been arguing FF should return to instead of shedding every gameplay aspect that formed the series’ identity.

I’m enjoying the game but I don’t understand how it’s getting a pass for its graphical issues when so many other games get absolutely piled on. The hair shadows on Gustave’s face from the opening of the game look absolutely atrocious. It’s a smallish detail but when they fill the full screen with his face it’s hard for it not to be distracting. I’m not one to harp on a game for small things, but it made me second guess my purchase when I first turned it on and made me question whether all the hype was a bunch of hot air. It bothers me less now. Still I find it strange so few are mentioning it.

Is this a surprise after they bought up half the gaming industry.

I would buy day one. Ties for favorite game of all-time with FF6.

@RadioHedge They weren’t following her through the wilderness for 5 straight years, lol. In the game, they went to Jackson on a mission to confront Tommy who was an ex-firefly. They got a tip on where Tommy was located and hoofed it there probably over a month or two. In the show, it’s implied that they know Joel is there. They were in Seattle the past 5 years stewing on revenge.

@Anthony_Daniels Their products sell like hotcakes at a high price because more people love their product than anyone else. Turns out you can demand a high price when lots and lots of people are clamoring for your product.

@AhmadSumadi The FPS, the resolution, the joysticks, the internal storage size, overall built quality, color scheme, screen size, controller connections, mouse control, social features, etc.

All changed. All improved.

And, yes, inflation has changed, too. Hence price increases. Welcome to reality.

The Switch 2's storage is 8 times larger than the original.

The console was ALWAYS going to be underpowered compared to a PS5, as Nintendo focuses on other qualities to their system. This was known.

SD cards make perfect sense for a handheld console. Lol. And they're not the same as the original. The original use MicroSD cards. This uses Micro SD Express cards. Which allows for much faster data transfers, for faster loading and installing. ANOTHER IMPROVEMENT.

Sure, the battery isn't great. That's just about the only negative compared to the original Switch.

@AhmadSumadi I mean, basically every aspect of the console has been changed but keep on drumming.

@rjejr Once you add on controllers to your iPad you're paying the same as the Switch 2, you're not playing new Mario games, and you have a clunker of a handheld. Can you Airplay at 120 FPS? Not sure.

@splinters It's not heading toward Pro pricing at all. It's $499 with a game. The Pro is $700 without a game. Also, when looking at the base PS5 models, you're comparing a 2-in-1 hybrid system with a standalone home console that would require a Portal to have somewhat close to the same functionality. There are tradeoffs in value. They add additional value with mouse functionality. Call it a gimmick if you want but it counts for something. The pricing is fine compared to the competition.

We also have to acknowledge that regardless of specs, the Nintendo is brand new. The PS5 has been out for going on 5 years and has seen a price reduction as the console has matured.

Nintendo doesn't typically do price reductions on console because the original Switch sold like hotcakes. We'll see how their model holds at this pricing with the state of the industry.

I mean, it’s a cool feature but hardly one that would make me hold onto a game if my mentality is already one where I recycle games to afford new ones. It would be cool if the feature was developed further to where interactions actually affected the story in meaningful ways, not just one-liners and buffs. The novelty of some rando orc remembering me and saying something kind of wears off quickly.

@Jey887 that would be a nice inclusion if you get tired of the constant camera movement!

While I think the game looks promising and I love the evolution of turn-based combat, the menus in combat are a little over stylized for my liking with the way the camera zips all over the place. If you go in and out of menus trying to decide what you want to do, it seems like it's going to be nauseating whipping back and forth. Hopefully that won't be the case.

The constant loading screens going in and out of buildings killed this for me. And it was just an absolute snooze.

@FanCFeast I actually think that the Remake combat system does a decent job of splitting the difference between turn-base and live action. The live action component is largely automated by just holding down the attack button, but for meaningful battles you still have to navigate menus, and there is the Active Time Battle gauge filled by your attacks, which has it's DNA in older games. I'm mostly concerned with the direction that FF16 took going full action, doing away with basically all of the game elements that game before, no party members to switch between, an undercooked equipment system, and no elemental weaknesses. Little to no strategy, just unload your Eikons. Baldur's Gate has prove that even complex modern turn-based games can be highly successful if passion is put into the project.

This is the kind of modern turn-based action with real-time elements that would be perfect for the FF franchise to iterate on if they cared at all about their roots.

@GirlVersusGame GameStop regularly has trade in deals where you earn 20% extra credit and other deals where you buy 2 get one free. If you’re a pro member you can make even more. While rare, when timed right you can sometimes get more back than you paid. At the very least you get quite a good return if you’re intentional about it. You’re only getting peanuts if you bought a brand new game years ago and are trying to trade in. If you trade in within 6 months of buying it then it’s not such a bad deal. I traded in a 3-year-old PS4 and got $200 back for it on a trade-in deal. The same amount I originally paid for it on a Black Friday deal. I circulated that $200 for like 3 years of trade-ins.

I almost exclusively buy physical games. Buy at a discount months after initial release when games are actually properly patched. And then resell once finished. I play games not more than a year old for a third of the new digital price. Saves me hundreds a year and thousands over the past several years. No brainer for me, so it would be a major bummer if physical went away completely.

@tameshiyaku Hollow Knight is as much inspired by Mega Man and also Dark Souls as it is Metroid and Castlevania. So, I'd disagree that it's not more than a good Metroidvania.

@NathanKang No, we like it because it's an amazing blend of Mega Man, Metroid, and Dark Souls with rewarding and challenging boss fights and tight, precise gameplay, and it does it extremely well within a bizarre world with interesting reveals and environmental storytelling around every corner using fantastic, unique artwork. If you think it's overrated, that's just your opinion, man.

@DennisReynolds One article was written within the perspective of Marvel Rivals success. The other was written from the perspective of Sony's entire mostly failed enterprise into live service. Two different authors written from two different lenses. There's nuance here and a discussion to be had within the gulf between these two articles that does support pursuing live service in a more focused, limit way despite the failures. And that discussion largely would revolve around focusing on strong IP, working with developers who have experience in this arena, narrowing down prospects to the strongest before investing hundreds of millions, and investing more into market research, among other things. Live service can work. But the recklessly aggressive way Sony went about it was dumb.

@Runex2121 My PS5 Pro with the disc drive sits perfectly level with no wobble when you put the new feet on that the disc drive comes with. Did you swap out the feet?

@Nepp67 John Wicks character is literally a retired assassin. He’s supposed to be old. Nathan Drake in his first outing is not. Lol. And Wick is doing mostly gun play. Not climbing things like a monkey. Furthermore, Nathan Fillion is a has been B-list actor at best, and does not have the clout to carry a franchise in the same way as Keanu Reeves. Good gracious.

Established successful IPs have a stronger chance of success based on recognition when made decently—what a shock!

@Nepp67 Nathan Fillion is in his 50s and would be in or near his 60s in a third and fourth film. That is just too old for the kind of stunts Nathan Drake is known for and not a good way to establish a new movie franchise. Holland while boyish has the growing physique and athleticism necessary and will hopefully age into his role, as will Wahlberg.

@Itachi2099 Palworld and Pokemon are not PS exclusives, so it's not an issue a PS-oriented site would write about as it relates to company first party studios and what might constitute as a ripoff of their intellectual property.

It took me 3 days of constantly responding as fast as possible to in-stock notifications using the Hot Stock app to finally land a drive for my Pro through GameStop. Such a headache.

It’s definitely a privileged problem, but it’s straight up ridiculous that the stock on drives is so low. It absolutely feels intentional on Sony’s part so that those that want a drive get complacent and buy a few digital games in the meantime. They’re conditioning us.

Didn’t work on me though. 90% of games I will always buy discs. For about $200 through GameStop I landed Alan Wake 2, Jedi Survivor, Spider-Man 2, Sekiro, Lies Of P, Star Wars Outlaws, and Hogwarts. It would have cost me twice as much, if not more, had I bought digital. And I will trade in all of these games for about half as much as I paid for them. In the end, it will have costed me a quarter of the price of buying digital, and I will have saved hundreds if not thousands over several years gaming.

Discs are a no brainer for me.

@colonelkilgore If even the 10-15% of hardcore PS gamers are complaining about the price of the Pro, do you really think enough gamers who have console mentalities are going to shift over to PC, which is going to set the average gamer back $1000 plus to have equivalent tech that is less convenient. Consoles have the plug-and-play convenience factor and are cheaper. It seems highly doubtful a meaningful number of your average gamer is going to give up that convenience for something even more expensive, when even the most diehard gamers are loath to pay even more in the console market. PCs are finicky, inconsistent, and require far more fiddling with settings for your average gamer who just wants to pop into their game and not have to mess around with steam controller settings to get their game working correctly.

@Voltan that’s ridiculous if European retailers are selling above Sony’s price. I feel for you!

@Oram77 @Voltan I was able to get a disc drive by using the Hot Stock app, which notifies you when online stores get them in stock. It's free if you just sign up for notifications. But there are a couple paid options that allow you to get notifications sooner or for an auto-buy feature. I just used the free option. They get bought up almost instantaneously but if you stick with it and work on getting through the checkout process as quickly as possible you can land one. It took me a few days of trying and I finally got one through GameStop. I'm in the US, so if you're in another country I'm unsure if it's possible to get them elsewhere doing the same. Best of luck!

@VRjunky this is great to hear and I was kind of thinking that the poor reception was based on misplaced expectations. I played Deadspace Remake over six months ago and loved it, but it’s been long enough now to where I don’t remember the controls so the muscle memory shouldn’t cloud my impressions of this game hopefully. Thanks for lending your impressions.

@Rich33 if a game sells well regardless of quality then there isn’t really the incentive to improve it. However, an underperforming game can benefit from additional work put into it, even if it was already quality to begin with. It sucks, but thats how incentive works.

Stoked! Been putting this one off. Now seems like a good time to jump in. I just got my Pro but I’m waiting on the disc drive to arrive. Callisto Protocol has just been sitting in my digital library since it was given away as part of PS+. I was dissuaded from playing it when it got lackluster reviews at release. But I have a feeling it got unjustly bagged on. Can’t wait to fire it up to see how good it looks with the Pro.

DLC content has been verging on sequel territory for a while now. Just because it’s baked into the base game shouldn’t mean that it couldn’t essentially be a game unto itself. Some sequels are rarely entirely different beasts compared to their predecessors and often only make changes around the edges. Erdtree perhaps does enough of that to be considered a sequel in its own right, by the standard of how much tinkering some other sequels do, even if it’s not as large as the base game. Regardless, I think Ertree would be an important inclusion in the GOTY category, if only to incentivize other publishers to put as much time and craft into expansions in the future.