Comments 1,092

Re: Xbox Game Pass May Make Devs 'Wage Slaves', Says Ex-PlayStation Exec

wildcat_kickz

PlayStation has a service that is closer to what I think is sustainable. Strauss Zelnick said as much, too. The subscription service is great for back-catalog games, but doing day-and-date releases not only devalues the product to become just "content" to feed to the subscription machine, but also trains the audience to not buy new releases.

Gamepass is great for consumers in the short term, but has not only crippled Microsoft's ability to sell games in their own ecosystem, but has a bleeding effect into the wider gaming industry. It's similar to how Apple's AppStore created a race to the bottom with F2P games.

I get that Xbox players are very defensive about Gamepass. Why wouldn't you be? It's great value. But if you zoom out, you can see the bigger picture in how subscription services, in general, have devalued products, not just with games, but beyond.

Spotify devalued music, Netflix devalued TV shows, Disney+ devalued movies.

All it takes is a loss leader to force a change and that kind of power to reshape an entire industry is pretty scary.

Re: Action RPG Lords of the Fallen 2 Reveal Confirmed for Next Week

wildcat_kickz

I hope they just call it "Lords of the Fallen." 😂

But seriously, I really enjoyed the reboot and can't wait to see what the sequel has in store. My only concern is they said that they were going to make the art style a little more palatable for a wider audience, but I really, really enjoyed the macabre art style of the reboot, so I hope it doesn't stray too far.

Re: Poll: Are You Playing the Battlefield 6 Beta?

wildcat_kickz

I still play CoD MW3 (2023) regularly and play BF1 on and off, but would welcome a new change of pace. I tried BF2042 recently and didn't vibe with it at all. Really hoping that BF6 has that spark, but I suppose I'll find out this weekend. After the last two entries, there is absolutely no way that I'm buying BF6 sight unseen.

Re: Sony Controlling More of Marathon Dev Bungie, Will Be Integrated into PS Studios

wildcat_kickz

@Oram77 Well, to be fair, even though PlayStation didn't own Firewalk for the majority of Concord's development, PlayStation execs thought it was a good idea to buy the studio outright even before the game was released. This showed a serious(ly misguided) confidence in the product.

That said, I think Bungie coming under the PS Studios umbrella is a good thing. Bungie has made some of my favorite games of all time and I actually have faith that Marathon will, at the very least, be really fun to play. Whether is has staying power is another question altogether.

Re: Round Up: Total Lack of Mafia: The Old Country PS5 Reviews Is a Red Flag

wildcat_kickz

This game always struck me as a purely narrative driven experience, rather than a bombastic gameplay showcase (a la Uncharted). I'm willing to bet that fans of period pieces and crime drama will find a lot to love here.

Gameplay has never been Mafia's strongest pillar. If gameplay is basically the same as Mafia remake, then that will likely be good enough for me. The fact that there isn't an open world or side quests or whatever is a huge selling point, not a detractor.

Re: Reaction: PS Plus Essential Deserves Much More Credit for Its Free PS5, PS4 Games in 2025

wildcat_kickz

I bought Lies of P on day 1, but it's easily the best title that's been offered so far this year. While Dragon Age disappointed me considerably, it's a huge title to release on the service, along with Diablo 4.

I've dabbled in Extra and Premium, but as someone who buys a lot of games anyway, I can never justify that added expense. I've settled on Essential and don't foresee that changing anytime soon.

All in all, PS Plus is a fantastic value and doesn't get its flowers nearly enough. Glad @get2sammyb spent the time to spotlight it!

Re: Call of Duty Players Should Have a Bit More Space on Their PS5, PS4 Console After Today's Update

wildcat_kickz

CoD HQ was such a boneheaded idea. I play both MW3 and BO6, so I have both installed, but a friend of mine only plays MW3 and his install is basically the same size. This means that he's had BO6 installed the whole time and doesn't have access to it.

If you want to have hot links in your game to quick open another app, that's fine, but don't force us to have them installed!

Re: Star Wars Outlaws Sequel Reportedly Cancelled, Will Stay in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

wildcat_kickz

@kmtrain83 Yeah, I guess for me the 5-7s just devalue the whole brand. I know the prequels weren’t well executed, but the story they told was excellent. I just don’t see the same quality narratives in most modern Star Wars. That said, I love that Outlaws has nothing to do with Jedi. Some of the coolest stories that Star Wars has told have nothing to do with space magic.

Re: Star Wars Outlaws Sequel Reportedly Cancelled, Will Stay in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

wildcat_kickz

@AverageGamer I disagree. Star Wars used to be an event. Now it's just content. Since Disney bought the IP, I think they've done a pretty poor job in making Star Wars feel special. I respect that people disagree with me, but something being Star Wars used to get me incredibly excited. Now, it's a net negative; something for the product to overcome. You can't miss something if it doesn't go away.

Re: In Unsurprising News, Even More Xbox Ports Are Allegedly En Route to PS5

wildcat_kickz

@DennisReynolds In a recent episode of Defining Duke, Cog made a really interesting point (I'm paraphrasing): MCC was in such a terrible technical state when it launched that it's likely held together right now with duct tape and prayers, so porting it might be just too tall an ask.

It's a real bummer, since I've been fiending for some Halo multiplayer since I jumped ship for PS4. It's one of the reasons I keep coming back to Splitgate - it's the closest thing we have right now.

Re: Despite Full PS5 Release, Splitgate 2 Is Going Back to Beta to Launch Again in 2026

wildcat_kickz

Going back to "beta" is just a turn of phrase, so they can get another marketing beat when they "launch" again.

I think there's something special here under the hood, so hopefully they can pull this off, though the odds are against them. Lose the battle royale mode that no one asked for and focus on the frenetic arena shooter people already liked.

They're on the clock. Once Halo arrives on PlayStation, they're going to take a huge player hit.

Re: Reaction: Sony's PS5 Games Keep Getting Better After Launch, and Often for Free

wildcat_kickz

@Balaam_ I sympathize to a certain extent, but I don't think Sony gains much by catering to people in your position. What you're describing (and I mean no offense) is the OCD completionist mentality. Again, I sympathize, but no one is forcing you to return to a game. This is just added value for the vast majority of players. I'd wager there are more people excited for new trophies to hunt than people lamenting their existence.