Comments 107

Re: Poll: So, Is Monster Hunter Wilds 'Too Easy'?

throwmeaname

As a veteran monster hunter, I feel like a lot of the feeling of "easiness" comes from the fact that monsters dont have unreasonable hitboxes. I remember fighting monsters in previous entries with unreasonable hitboxes. It like your'e fighting series of blocks, rather than an organic being.

Obviously things have changed since. The game has significant quality of life improvements, which I welcome. The hit boxes are much more reasonable and being hit actually means you failed at positioning. Whereas in the previous entry, it just felt unfair sometimes.

Riding your Seikret makes carting is basically impossible - unless you're super greedy. There's even massive indicators telling you to GTFO and dodge a kill shot. So this adds to the "easiness" of the game due to UI.

Not to mention multiplayer. I like to play solo, because its fun to challenge the monster head on, and by my own abilities. But I could just imagine playing with other players would basically diminish the difficulty multiplicatively, as addressed above.

I am not ashamed to admit that I've carted once or twice in the game. Its likely my reflexes arent as they used to be, but I like to attribute it to poor positioning and greed.

is the game easy? Yes, especially to those who poured 1,000 hrs on previous entry, the speed runners and the min-maxers.
But to those who have a day job, school and other responsibilities: the difficulty is just perfect.

Re: Reaction: The PS5 Discourse Around State of Plays Is Becoming Draining

throwmeaname

Y'all need to touch grass.

There's a lot of philosophy from both the east and west advocating for moderation in all things, including video games and - in this case - your expectations around the PS state of play.

I know that social media amplifies the most vitriolic and negative opinions to maximize engagement - but y'all really need to take things into moderation.

Re: Square Enix Vows to Deny Toxic Fans Its Wonderful Games, Services

throwmeaname

@Fishnpeas the customer is always right is the dumbest take, especially in today's society.

Companies - who employ real life people - should be protecting their employees. Retaining talented employees is much cheaper and better for the long-term growth of the company. Having to recruit new staff every single time is very costly - and it makes sense for SE to be establishing these policies to protect its interests.

Customers come and go. Constructive feedback from customers is appreciated and should be encouraged to make a better product. But if customers are there to make a scene and cause harm to other people through harassment and intimidation - then they can go the ***** off.

Re: PS5 Pro's Proprietary Upscaler PSSR Is Looking Very Promising

throwmeaname

@2here2there I dont know anything current, but there's a lot of indie/B-title games out there.

Valheim is a very innovative action survival game, which received a lot of great reviews and updates since. Another one of my fave is Project Zomboid - another indie title that simulates what its like to survive in a zombie apocalypse. Highly recommended with friends.

B-titles like the Trails Of series are great JRPGs to also dip your toes in. Push Square provides positive reviews of Falcom games, and specific to Trails Of - I'd argue that this series offer amazing world building that is much stronger than established AAA games like Final Fantasy. Interestingly, Metaphor ReFantasio's mixed action/turn-base gameplay was actually inspired from Trails through Daybreak's model. So as you can see, B title games are inspiring other game devs to adapt to new and creative ideas from B titles.

Re: PS5 Pro's Proprietary Upscaler PSSR Is Looking Very Promising

throwmeaname

@McTwist There are plenty of games that try to innovate, just look at all the indie games or B title games available. Outward for one has a terrible review score, but I placed a lot of hours into the game because - once it clicks, it really sukcs you in.

These games are usually overlooked due to the critic review scores. But you can find a lot of hidden gems out there if we simply judge the game by its concept, and not by its graphics. The game market is no longer tied to big developers 10, 20 years ago. Indie devs and B-title studios are where the innovation lies.

Re: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Drops Loads of PS5 Gameplay, Action Combat Details

throwmeaname

I was skeptical of the new combat system, but seeing it in first hand - I'm beginning to warm up to it.

There's a lot of customization option for the players, despite only having 4 active buttons. Theoretically, this streamlines player abilities - thus removing ability bloat - while passive/runes add further depth to the combat without it becoming too overwhelming. I am very okay with this.

The companion characters is akin to Mass Effect. You command your companions to perform an action, while you control Rook the entire time. This isn't that bad. My only concern is with regards to combat repetition. Will the battle get stale by the end game? I am hoping they have amazing boss fights with great boss mechanics to break gameplay repetition. But I guess we'll see.

Honestly, I think Dragon Age moving towards action RPG, as oppose to CRPG of DA:O, is a good strategic direction for the company. It sucks that the game is departing from its roots - but I'm honestly OK with this. After all, Dragon Age would need to compete with games like Baldur's Gate if DA remains a CRPG - and I dont think they have the capacity to, considering how amazing that game is.

Re: Preview: Star Wars Outlaws Thrives in Its Rewarding Open World

throwmeaname

@BusyOlf Liam said in his preview:

"Having played just four hours of a game that's likely to offer enough content to cover at least ten times that playtime, it's not the time for any definitive statements just yet. Star Wars Outlaws will need to prove it has the chops across a full campaign next month..."

While you have every right to be suspicious, I don't think the reviewers are being deceitful. If the preview looks good, but the game upon release does not - that speaks more about the publisher's attempt to con people and less about the reviewer's attempts to get people to buy the game.

In plain: I don't believe there's a conspiracy here between reviewers and publishers.

Re: Surprise Final Fantasy 7 Remake Patch Changes the Ending

throwmeaname

The new line is fine, in fact - I actually like it. It's more deliberate. If the intent is to create tension, then they delivered.

The original line seemed to have a lot more room for interpretation. Which is fine considering we had a lot of time to talk about the meaning of the ending until Rebirth came out.

But now that Rebirth is around the corner, creating tension by changing the line may makes more sense from a storytelling standpoint, especially considering where we're heading.

Also - I'm stupid. So this change helps.

Re: Square Enix Resolves to Implement 'Aggressive' AI Strategy in 2024

throwmeaname

A lot of folks fear monger about the danger of AI, but if used correctly it can automate some mundane functionalities to give developers more time to flex their creativity and make cool things in game.
If they opt instead to use AI to replace creatives, and ship generic games for a quick buck. Then I hope SE reconsiders their long-term strategy.

Re: Honkai: Star Rail Surpasses 20 Million Downloads Ahead of PS5, PS4 Launch

throwmeaname

@z0d15g0d I never played a gacha. Can you explain the main appeal/premise for the game? I can understand a singleplayer adventure game where you go from point A to B, where there's a clear beginning middle and end. But I never really understood how these gacha game works. Same with Genshin. How can people play this for so long? Doesn't the game get repetitive? Is there an endgame? Are you supposed to collect all the characters? I'm confused.

Re: Square Enix Commits to Business Consolidation in 2023 as Sony Buyout Rumours Start Again

throwmeaname

A lot of game feels the same now. Not talking about SE's games in particular - but the diversity of quality games have diminished over the years, and they all started to feel like sandbox third person action RPGs, or the same recycled FPS.

Would Sony buying out SE continue this trend? My only concern with big companies (whether Sony or MS), is that all games would consolidate into one type of genre, same-looking games in Unreal Engine. Which makes me feel not-excited for any sort of buyout.

I suppose the real innovation comes from the Indie titles. I just hope gamers support the indie realm.

Re: Shocking: Sony Has Plans for PS6

throwmeaname

@sanderson72 I agree! Great discussion.

I might consider trading in my PS5 for a PS5 pro if it can both play a consistent 60FPS and in 4k. Many games on the PS5 asks one or the other, but it would be nice to have both.

Aside from that - I think the PS5 marketed itself really well by selling off its instantaneous load speed and the motion sense control. I personally didn't see motion sense to be a game-changer (in terms of player enjoyment) yet here we are.

I wonder what the PS6 will offer us next? I'm thinking of VR, but in reality the possibilities are endless.

Re: Shocking: Sony Has Plans for PS6

throwmeaname

@sanderson72 having put a lot of hours into my PS4 and now the PS5, it feels like it's night and day! I didn't know I needed 60fps, 4k res and instant load times until I started playing games on the PS5.

I just hope the PS6 offers a substantial paradigm shift for gaming instead of seeing minimal improvements (like how it's like with the new iphones lol)

Re: Shocking: Sony Has Plans for PS6

throwmeaname

I just bought my PS5!

Oh well, I'll probably sticking around with this console for years. What could the PS6 offer aside from faster load times, improve graphics, better cloud streaming, and (maybe) enhanced dual sense? The only thing I could think of is a full integration of VR onto the console itself (as oppose to VR being separate as we see today).

Are next gen console allow us to tune-in to the metaverse? SAO style?

Anyway, as a consumer, I'm more concerned about the games being more and more expensive than what they actually offer me in return.

Re: Hideo Kojima Cryptically Hints at Impending Reveal

throwmeaname

@ChromaticDracula Kojima just comes off as super pretentious, which makes him easy to criticize.

That aside - I was super surprised by death stranding. It definitely took some time to get used to, but I'm amazed at how Kojima gamified (what seems to be) one big social experiment where he dupes people into building in-game infrastructure as gamers salivate in anticipation for player "likes". It sounds ridiculous at first - but when you actually put some hours in; you'll find no other game like it. And that's a good thing.

With that said, he could definitely tone down on the Hollywood pretentiousness.

Re: Assassin's Creed Mirage Likely Won't Take 100 Hours to Beat

throwmeaname

"Not everything has to be a 150-hour RPG, right?"

Such a refreshing take. The new ACs never appealed to me, as it looked more hack-slash RPG than stealth a action.

What I enjoyed about the original AC is that you're able to hide in plain sight - which made it competitive against other stealth juggernauts like Metal Gear or Splinter Cell. In these games, you stick to the shadow and use your gadgets to complete your mission. In AC, you hide in plain sight: march with the priests, sit in stalls, and look completely innocuous. It's a refreshing take in the stealth action genre.

Stealth characters are not supposed to be one-man army, where you can take on a horde of mindless AIs. The point of these games is to infiltrate, complete your objective, then leave. And when you are spotted - you're supposed to lose all your advantages. Stealth games should PUNISH you if you fail to remain sneaky.

I don't know if that will be the case in this new iteration. I can sense some action elements similar to previous games. So I am not holding my breath on AC Mirage providing us with a new stealth (or rather old) stealth action experience.

Re: Soapbox: I Tried So Hard to Like Elden Ring, But I Just Couldn’t Do It

throwmeaname

I haven't finished Elden Ring, but my favourite aspect about the game is the tactical and strategy component of the game.

Tactics in the context of ER is the act of fighting. You find a dungeon, you go through the level, you fight the boss. Each attack, each tactical decision, makes up the "tactical component" of Elden Ring.

In contrast, yet complimentary component, is strategy. In the context of ER, strategy is asking yourself: "okay, do I jump into the main quest boss right away, or do I explore a bit more of the map to find hidden loot/weapons?"; "Okay, now that I have gained this many levels - am I ready to fight the boss yet"? "Okay - I just found out that the boss I fought, was too difficult, I need to fall back and decide on whether I should continue, or look for other treasures to make the boss fight more manageable".

This level of decision making was never present in the past souls games. It's always - you made it to the end of the dungeon: kill the boss. If you can't well, tough luck. Either summon friends, or go on for HOURS trying to kill the boss. In ER, because there are so many options, you can go back and rethink your tactics and strategy. And it's always viable to explore and see what's out there to obtain hidden loot.

Granted, IDK how much of the "Tactics/strategy" component is present in the end game. But I loved every bit of this in the opening to mid part of Elden Ring.