It's funny how many times I see such-and-such game is massively improved on the Pro, and then I see side-by-side images that look identical to my eyes.
Same thing happened to me. One day back in 1973, I was playing pong with the lads and I said "you know, I bet you could make a game more involved than this" and then BOOM 40 years later GTA V drops and I was like "that was my idea!"
If Starfield had been made by someone other than BGS, it would have a reputation similar to that of Forspoken. I actually like Forspoken, for the record. But Starfield was not a good game when I played it in 2023, and I have doubts that it could have changed THAT much.
I'm done with Bethesda until I see TES VI and Fallout 5, and if those don't land then I'm done for good. But I have zero interest in indulging in their pet project that is the main reason for the continued absence of the games I mentioned above.
I'll check it out at some point once a few more patches have hit, it definitely looks like there is fun to be had once the game is in better condition and perhaps some QoL improvements.
First game was a stinker, they tried it again (with literally the same title) and it was a stinker again. Give it up already. I'll be skipping this one.
Sonic Frontiers is the first Sonic game I've ever played, and I had a ton of fun with it. If this is a free update/upgrade for existing owners I may check it out, but I'm not buying the game twice if that is what Sega is going for.
@Balaam_ you care about such mundane things to an extremity that leads me to believe that you are either extremely young, or have zero actual problems in your life.
I'm a huge fan of both the recent God of War games for PS4/PS5 but this doesn't interest me in the slightest. Not because it's smaller in scope, but because the gameplay in no way resembles the games that I enjoyed, and this type of game holds no interest to me. But there is a market for smaller first-party titles, no question.
@GamerDad76 I came here to say the same thing, Kimulator's Films produces nothing but garbage shovelware and the PS Store would be much better off without their inclusion.
A lot of people are being purposefully obtuse. In a vacuum, obviously a 77 or 82 or whatever isn't a disappointment, but when you consider the hype and expectations THIS game had going, for quite a while, then it absolutely IS a disappointment, and anybody expressing shock at that isn't being genuine, in my opinion.
If this leads to fewer people pre-ordering games, then at least it served some sort of purpose. I can't think of any other circumstance where you would blindly commit your money to a product before having any idea at all about the quality of said product, and I would love to see the practice become extinct in gaming. It literally serves zero purpose for the consumer.
Because it's totally logical and rational to hide something that is well optimized and going to make people happy...said nobody, ever, since the dawn of f'n time.
I've never, EVER seen a situation where somebody was able to prove something that people were skeptical about, but simply chose not to...for no reason. That's all I'm going to say.
I usually never say this, but maybe these guys should try their hand at something else? Between Bound By Flame and the two GreedFalls, action RPGs clearly aren't in their wheelhouse. I never tried The Technomancer or Steel Rising, but those also got uninspiring review scores. Five bites at the apple now, and they've made five games that are all 5-7 out of 10. Move on fellas.
@3Above but you could just buy the game digitally on release day, even a 100GB game takes minutes to download (at least where I live) so I still have yet to see an actual benefit to committing your money to a product you have no idea how it will perform. I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm trying to illustrate how ludicrous a practice preordering is. Would you put money down on a car before knowing how well it ran?
If you're not hiding anything, then show the footage of the game running on a base PS5...
Also, can somebody list even ONE benefit of pre-ordering games? Like an actual benefit, not just because you "like to." I mean a real, actually tangible benefit of giving them your money early? Because to me, the concept of pre-ordering games is full on lunacy, and a big reason the industry exists as it does.
@Balaam_ I call absolute b.s. that you "own mint, sealed, black label original printing of certain games that are worth more than what many would pay for a decent used car." That's ridiculous, and you know it. Either that, or you have no idea how much used cars go for these days.
I wish devs and publishers would stop wasting so much time and money chasing the live service bag. You're basically as smart as the guy banking on getting rich by winning the lottery. Move on already.
Here's the thing...if I'm Pearl Abyss, and this thing can run on a PS5, I'm proving that to the public as soon as I possibly can. The fact that we are two weeks out and have seen ZERO footage of the game running on PS5 essentially means that the game DOESN'T run on PS5 yet, at least not well enough to show the public. So Pearl Abyss employees have two weeks worth of crunch to look forward to while they try to get the game in a playable state on console.
The biggest problem with Starfield is that it's not TES VI or Fallout 5. That's one of the biggest reasons people hate on it. They wanted something else.
This might shock some people, but not all console gamers are people naive to or unaware that PC gaming exists. I have a gaming PC, well I have a PC that I built the better part of a decade ago that was a gaming PC when I built it. It's covered in dust, and hasn't been turned on in years. I PREFER console. I've played on PC-Master-Race-Ultra-Modded settings before, I still prefer my PS5, because of the convenience, I don't have to tinker with every single game to get it to run in an optimized state, and I like sitting on my couch and playing on my big TV. There is nothing that would get me back to PC gaming. If consoles disappeared, I'd find a new hobby. I can't be the only person like this.
@Balaam_ they are affiliate links, PushSquare has a financial incentive to place those banners. It's not because they're trying to champion physical media.
Rise and Slime Rancher are both interesting enough for me to consider it a solid month. I'll never touch the golf game, and ESO just makes me want to play Oblivion or Skyrim.
IF I was on the fence regarding whether or not to upgrade to a PS5 Pro, the fact that such a sizeable quantity of developers don't seem to care or bother with Pro support would be enough to get me to stick with my base PS5. I just can't justify spending $750, and then another $100+ for a disc drive and a stand, for a console where less than half (an assumption on my part) of the games have improved visuals.
First party Xbox games (oxymoron?) come to Game Pass on release day, which absolutely cannibalizes sales. The only way they can possibly recoup the cost of the game's development, let alone hope to make a profit, is to offset the Game Pass cannibalization by releasing their games on every platform available. It's that simple. Quite frankly, they do not have the option of reverting to first party exclusivity without essentially sinking the entire ship.
This is a franchise where every game released was worse than the one before it. SR1 and 2 were fun, but after that it got too weird for me and I stopped caring.
Even a massive title like Madden or NBA2K would be disappointing as the "headline" game simply because most of the people interested would have long ago bought those titles, myself included.
Something like PGA Tour is about the worst possible choice you could make. The lineup could consist of literally the top 3 games on my wishlist in addition to this, and I would still find myself saying "PGA Tour, really?" Whoever made that final decision should be reassigned to a different role in the company, I'm not even slightly joking.
@Balaam_ no offense mate, but there is no way that I believe you only took a "cursory glance at the trophy list" based on reading some of your previous comments. You care about trophies the way a vampire cares about blood.
It's comical to me how I see so many of the same usernames that I see on other articles about this game. You all spend a fair amount of time reading and commenting on a game you allegedly dislike. I find that curious, and very strange. Game seems fun to me, but I don't have an agenda, what do I know...
@andrewsqual Where did I defend the game? I was simply pointing out the perceived emotional instability that some of the comments presented. The fact that you felt triggered by that essentially proves my point, so I thank you.
I think it's weird how emotional some people seem to get regarding this game. If it doesn't look good to you, don't spend your money and don't play it. Some people are so worked up though I'm starting to think Avowed bullied them in high school or slept with their mother or something. Good god.
PS Plus at current retail cost is already overpriced. The only time I'm on a level above Essential is when I take advantage of the Black Friday sale. Increasing the cost of PS Plus would result in a pretty strong backlash, IMO.
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Re: Hands On: Cyberpunk 2077 Is Now Utterly Essential on PS5 Pro
It's funny how many times I see such-and-such game is massively improved on the Pro, and then I see side-by-side images that look identical to my eyes.
Re: 'We Had Everything from Crimson Desert': Just Cause Dev Recalls Cancelled Fantasy Game
Same thing happened to me. One day back in 1973, I was playing pong with the lads and I said "you know, I bet you could make a game more involved than this" and then BOOM 40 years later GTA V drops and I was like "that was my idea!"
Re: Sony Delists 100s More Crappy PS5, PS4 Games, Including Jesus Simulator
Removed
Re: Here's Why Starfield Will Be Best on PS5 When It Finally Releases Next Week
If Starfield had been made by someone other than BGS, it would have a reputation similar to that of Forspoken. I actually like Forspoken, for the record. But Starfield was not a good game when I played it in 2023, and I have doubts that it could have changed THAT much.
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for April 2026 Announced
I'll probably check out the Sword Art game at some point, but I have no interest in the TR games and LOTF has been a dud twice now.
Re: Opinion: Does Starfield Suck? People Keep Telling Me to Skip Its PS5 Release
I'm done with Bethesda until I see TES VI and Fallout 5, and if those don't land then I'm done for good. But I have zero interest in indulging in their pet project that is the main reason for the continued absence of the games I mentioned above.
Re: Feature: PS5 Price - Why Does It Cost So Much in 2026?
We're being priced out of life, just very gradually.
Re: Crimson Desert (PS5) - A Generational Open World Buried in Early Access Cruft
I'll check it out at some point once a few more patches have hit, it definitely looks like there is fun to be had once the game is in better condition and perhaps some QoL improvements.
Re: PS Plus Essential Game for April 2026 Leaked
First game was a stinker, they tried it again (with literally the same title) and it was a stinker again. Give it up already. I'll be skipping this one.
Re: Looks Like SEGA Is Reheating PS5, PS4 Fan Favourite Sonic Frontiers in Definitive Edition
Sonic Frontiers is the first Sonic game I've ever played, and I had a ton of fun with it. If this is a free update/upgrade for existing owners I may check it out, but I'm not buying the game twice if that is what Sega is going for.
Re: 'I Have Done So Much for This Company': Axed Fortnite Dev Can't Believe He's Been Laid Off
Capitalism is terrorism. That's all I have to say.
Re: It Won't Be Much Longer Before We See More of PS5 Exclusive Marvel's Wolverine
@Frmknst what does a "realistic" take of a comic book character look like exactly?
Re: 'The Jumping, Movement, and Attacks Are Way More Responsive': Crimson Desert PS5 Patches Fix Crashes and Controls
@Balaam_ you care about such mundane things to an extremity that leads me to believe that you are either extremely young, or have zero actual problems in your life.
Re: 'We Should Have Clearly Disclosed Our Use of AI': Crimson Desert Dev 'Sincerely Apologises' for Erroneously Including AI Art in PS5 Game
Another in a chorus line of reasons to NOT PRE ORDER GAMES.
Re: PS5 Spin-Off God of War: Sons of Sparta Has Been a Big Hit for Sony
I'm a huge fan of both the recent God of War games for PS4/PS5 but this doesn't interest me in the slightest. Not because it's smaller in scope, but because the gameplay in no way resembles the games that I enjoyed, and this type of game holds no interest to me. But there is a market for smaller first-party titles, no question.
Re: 'We'll Still Release on Switch, Xbox, and Steam': Dev Responds to Delisting as Sony Axes 1,000s More PS5, PS4 Games from PS Store
@GamerDad76 I came here to say the same thing, Kimulator's Films produces nothing but garbage shovelware and the PS Store would be much better off without their inclusion.
Re: Crimson Desert Looks 'Rough' on Base PS5, Here's 25 Minutes of Direct Capture Footage
I don't usually do this, but...
I TOLD YOU SO
Re: Round Up: Crimson Desert Reviews Are a Major Disappointment
A lot of people are being purposefully obtuse. In a vacuum, obviously a 77 or 82 or whatever isn't a disappointment, but when you consider the hype and expectations THIS game had going, for quite a while, then it absolutely IS a disappointment, and anybody expressing shock at that isn't being genuine, in my opinion.
Re: Crimson Desert's Mixed Reviews See Dev's Share Price Drop Almost 30%
If this leads to fewer people pre-ordering games, then at least it served some sort of purpose. I can't think of any other circumstance where you would blindly commit your money to a product before having any idea at all about the quality of said product, and I would love to see the practice become extinct in gaming. It literally serves zero purpose for the consumer.
Re: Round Up: Crimson Desert Reviews Are a Major Disappointment
The adults in the room who were paying attention saw this coming.
Re: Site News: Where's Our Crimson Desert PS5 Review?
Because it's totally logical and rational to hide something that is well optimized and going to make people happy...said nobody, ever, since the dawn of f'n time.
Re: Tell Us if You Love or Hate Stupid Never Dies, the Most Divisive Action RPG Coming to PS5
This is absolutely my type of thing
Re: 'Whatever We Say, People Won't Believe Us': Crimson Desert Dev Promises Full PS5 Tech Breakdown for Launch
I've never, EVER seen a situation where somebody was able to prove something that people were skeptical about, but simply chose not to...for no reason. That's all I'm going to say.
Re: 8 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games for March 2026 Announced
I knew Dragon's Dogma 2 sounded too good to be true.
Re: Round Up: GreedFall 2 PS5 Reviews Suggest a Rough Start for the RPG Sequel
I usually never say this, but maybe these guys should try their hand at something else? Between Bound By Flame and the two GreedFalls, action RPGs clearly aren't in their wheelhouse. I never tried The Technomancer or Steel Rising, but those also got uninspiring review scores. Five bites at the apple now, and they've made five games that are all 5-7 out of 10. Move on fellas.
Re: Crimson Desert Confirms PSSR 2 on PS5 Pro, But Glowing Previews All Based on PC Version
@StitchJones I suspect that you will be proven correct in the end. It looks like an RPG to me as well, for the most part.
Re: Crimson Desert Confirms PSSR 2 on PS5 Pro, But Glowing Previews All Based on PC Version
@StitchJones it's not an RPG, devs words not mine.
Re: 'We're Not Hiding Anything': Crimson Desert Dev 'Sick' of Claims Around No PS5 Footage
@3Above but you could just buy the game digitally on release day, even a 100GB game takes minutes to download (at least where I live) so I still have yet to see an actual benefit to committing your money to a product you have no idea how it will perform. I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm trying to illustrate how ludicrous a practice preordering is. Would you put money down on a car before knowing how well it ran?
Re: Sony Returns to PlayStation Exclusivity and Stops Single Player PC Ports, New Report Says
After a lifetime of seeing "PC Master Race" garbage, I'm not losing any sleep over this one.
Re: 'We're Not Hiding Anything': Crimson Desert Dev 'Sick' of Claims Around No PS5 Footage
If you're not hiding anything, then show the footage of the game running on a base PS5...
Also, can somebody list even ONE benefit of pre-ordering games? Like an actual benefit, not just because you "like to." I mean a real, actually tangible benefit of giving them your money early? Because to me, the concept of pre-ordering games is full on lunacy, and a big reason the industry exists as it does.
Re: Physical Game Sales Hit All-Time Low in the US
@Balaam_ I call absolute b.s. that you "own mint, sealed, black label original printing of certain games that are worth more than what many would pay for a decent used car." That's ridiculous, and you know it. Either that, or you have no idea how much used cars go for these days.
Re: Highguard Permanently Shuts Down on 12th March
I wish devs and publishers would stop wasting so much time and money chasing the live service bag. You're basically as smart as the guy banking on getting rich by winning the lottery. Move on already.
Re: Physical Game Sales Hit All-Time Low in the US
I'm doing whatever is most convenient. That's my dog in this fight, convenience.
Re: Crimson Desert Tech Analysis Raises More Questions About PS5 Performance
@StarZinger you could be right, either way I just hope it's a successful launch and everybody wins!
Re: Promising PS5 Music Adventure Game Mixtape Gets May 2026 Launch
You had me at Joy Division.
Re: Crimson Desert Tech Analysis Raises More Questions About PS5 Performance
Here's the thing...if I'm Pearl Abyss, and this thing can run on a PS5, I'm proving that to the public as soon as I possibly can. The fact that we are two weeks out and have seen ZERO footage of the game running on PS5 essentially means that the game DOESN'T run on PS5 yet, at least not well enough to show the public. So Pearl Abyss employees have two weeks worth of crunch to look forward to while they try to get the game in a playable state on console.
Just my theory.
Re: Rumour: Starfield PS5 Release Date Locked in for April as Xbox RPG Targets Lower Price Point
The biggest problem with Starfield is that it's not TES VI or Fallout 5. That's one of the biggest reasons people hate on it. They wanted something else.
Re: Rumour: Sony Backtracking on PC Strategy, Shifting Towards PS5 Exclusivity Again
This might shock some people, but not all console gamers are people naive to or unaware that PC gaming exists. I have a gaming PC, well I have a PC that I built the better part of a decade ago that was a gaming PC when I built it. It's covered in dust, and hasn't been turned on in years. I PREFER console. I've played on PC-Master-Race-Ultra-Modded settings before, I still prefer my PS5, because of the convenience, I don't have to tinker with every single game to get it to run in an optimized state, and I like sitting on my couch and playing on my big TV. There is nothing that would get me back to PC gaming. If consoles disappeared, I'd find a new hobby. I can't be the only person like this.
Re: 40+ PS5, PS4 Games to Buy in PS Store's Dealmania Sale
@Balaam_ they are affiliate links, PushSquare has a financial incentive to place those banners. It's not because they're trying to champion physical media.
Re: PS Plus Essential Games for March 2026 Announced
Rise and Slime Rancher are both interesting enough for me to consider it a solid month. I'll never touch the golf game, and ESO just makes me want to play Oblivion or Skyrim.
Re: PS5 Pro Upgrade Details Spotted, as Sony Patents PSSR 2.0 Tech
IF I was on the fence regarding whether or not to upgrade to a PS5 Pro, the fact that such a sizeable quantity of developers don't seem to care or bother with Pro support would be enough to get me to stick with my base PS5. I just can't justify spending $750, and then another $100+ for a disc drive and a stand, for a console where less than half (an assumption on my part) of the games have improved visuals.
Re: 'The Plan's the Plan Until It's Not the Plan': Xbox All Over the Place on Future PS5 Ports
First party Xbox games (oxymoron?) come to Game Pass on release day, which absolutely cannibalizes sales. The only way they can possibly recoup the cost of the game's development, let alone hope to make a profit, is to offset the Game Pass cannibalization by releasing their games on every platform available. It's that simple. Quite frankly, they do not have the option of reverting to first party exclusivity without essentially sinking the entire ship.
Re: Saints Row Is 'Dead' Says Design Director After Prequel Pitch 'Ghosted' by Embracer Group
This is a franchise where every game released was worse than the one before it. SR1 and 2 were fun, but after that it got too weird for me and I stopped caring.
Re: First PS Plus Essential Game for March 2026 Leaked Early
Even a massive title like Madden or NBA2K would be disappointing as the "headline" game simply because most of the people interested would have long ago bought those titles, myself included.
Something like PGA Tour is about the worst possible choice you could make. The lineup could consist of literally the top 3 games on my wishlist in addition to this, and I would still find myself saying "PGA Tour, really?" Whoever made that final decision should be reassigned to a different role in the company, I'm not even slightly joking.
Re: Kingdom Come: Deliverance Director Ditches Game Development to Work on Medieval Movie
For as much entertainment that just KCD2 alone has provided me, I simply wish the man well and hope this move makes him happy.
Re: Poll: What Review Score Would You Give God of War: Sons of Sparta?
@Balaam_ no offense mate, but there is no way that I believe you only took a "cursory glance at the trophy list" based on reading some of your previous comments. You care about trophies the way a vampire cares about blood.
Re: Avowed Dev Hopes RPG's Biggest Criticism Has Been Fixed for PS5 Launch
It's comical to me how I see so many of the same usernames that I see on other articles about this game. You all spend a fair amount of time reading and commenting on a game you allegedly dislike. I find that curious, and very strange. Game seems fun to me, but I don't have an agenda, what do I know...
Re: Avowed (PS5) - Overlooked Xbox RPG Arrives with Some Big Upgrades
@andrewsqual Where did I defend the game? I was simply pointing out the perceived emotional instability that some of the comments presented. The fact that you felt triggered by that essentially proves my point, so I thank you.
Re: Avowed (PS5) - Overlooked Xbox RPG Arrives with Some Big Upgrades
I think it's weird how emotional some people seem to get regarding this game. If it doesn't look good to you, don't spend your money and don't play it. Some people are so worked up though I'm starting to think Avowed bullied them in high school or slept with their mother or something. Good god.
Re: Sony Will Offset Soaring RAM Prices by Further Monetising PS5 Players
PS Plus at current retail cost is already overpriced. The only time I'm on a level above Essential is when I take advantage of the Black Friday sale. Increasing the cost of PS Plus would result in a pretty strong backlash, IMO.