zekepliskin

@jrt87 I totally agree. I've owned basically every model of PlayStation, home console and portable except maybe the PSP Street/Go, and it's genuinely stunning how much they've fumbled under Jimmy R's sterling leadership. Fanboys know it too, which is why on sites like Eurogamer they're so quick to attack anything Xbox. Certainly is making Phil Spencer look like a Saint in comparison isn't he?

Well said, anyway.

Oh Sony, you've dropped the ball hard this year, so much so that it seems a large portion of the fanbase has only resorting to rhetoric about how Game Pass and Microsoft in general will signal the end of gaming, and that gamers will be sorry that subscription gaming ever became a thing.

Well, regardless of all that, there's several thousand top tier PS Plus subscribers lamenting that they have subscription gaming anyway... 😂

@Balie3000 Haha yeah exactly. I find it hilarious I can use a Microsoft console to locally play certain PS2/GameCube games via Dev Mode (some GC ones upscale nicely to 4K60 as you might know) yet I can't play them on the PS5 or Switch. Something is definitely messed up at Nintendo and Sony for that to be the case...

While Microsoft have Game Pass, Sony have Game Farce.

As the original Elite controller was released in October 2015, you could say it's taken $on¥ just under 7 years to release something similar.

I suppose sometimes they're so sluggish to respond to their competitors you could also call them Slow-ny.

I fail to see how making something free suddenly makes it better. Cost and quality aren't mutually exclusive.

I remember seeing The Act Man list all the game issues some weeks ago, and suggest they'd be smart to hold off on release and fix those. Apparently they didn't. Good job, everyone! Keep running forward with that "release it broken, patch it later or maybe not at all" attitude, gamers love that.

It's a brilliant game but three words are a big reason a lot of gamers got put off - LACK OF CHECKPOINTS.

Phrike took me maybe 6 attempts, played smarter each time. Then got to the second biome, red desert and almost all the way to the end before dying. I figured, hey, it'll at least save me back at the start of this area right? No. All the way back to the ship. I tried a few more times, never got as far as the first time when I had amazing weapons and perks, heart wasn't in it. Sold both the game and PS5 (the game was a big part of the reason I bought one), haven't thought about either much since.

I have it down to four words - great potential, mostly wasted. Sure I enjoyed my 60-80 hours even though I basically just goofed around and never finished the story, but I've never been compelled to return.

@Haruki_NLI Correct. Gamers Nexus tested the launch PS5 and concluded (thanks to many temp sensors added at various hot spots throughout the console) that the console is running it's rear side RAM chips at 95°c when a game is active. There are some fairly good odds that at some point, launch PS5s will start faulting with failed RAM chips. I wonder if it'll be like old Intel boards from about 10 years ago where they refuse to power on and emit three beeps with a pause over and over, like some pre-Retina MacBooks did (I had a 2011 Pro that exhibited this flaw, right before it cooked it's GPU too - 2011 not a great year for MacBook Pros hence Apple being hit with a class action).

Hopefully that won't happen but when you run RAM at temperatures well above spec, it could.

So they've taken it down a notch and now it's plain ol' 2D audio? That's so last gen... 🔉👂😏

I have both Series X and PS5. Got the Series X first, used it loads. Then got the PS5 and it was great fun for a couple of weeks, but when the initial fascination of slightly faster running PS4 games that don't have FPS Boost and Returnal wore off I went straight back to the Series X, then listed the PS5 for sale.

The Series X can also run RetroArch in Dev Mode so I can play GameCube, Wii and PS2 games on it too, or use Kodi to turn it into a 4K media streamer easily. For me, better value, and I've discovered loads of games I wouldn't have on Game Pass where I paid £1 for 3 months.

@Milktastrophe DualSense isn't more convenient when it's not a standard form factor remote (which I already have, it's not an "extra accessory" when you already own it), it switches itself off after 10 minutes and you're expecting girlfriends to use it, bud, as I've mentioned. Might be more convenient for you, but in my case not for them. Anyway this conversation is going round in circles so let's end it there. Have a good weekend.

@Milktastrophe Plex is just a fork of Kodi. Of course you can just use the DualSense, that's not the point though - it's more convenient to have an IR remote so it's not switching itself off to save battery all the time, plus I already have the PS5 media centre remote, also WAGs prefer remotes not game controllers when watching things through the TV 😜. Adding a network share in Kodi takes like, 20 seconds, how fast is Plex that it's that much faster? 😂

Fair point, but Plex also requires a Plex server to be set up with a library, usually on a powerful PC capable of media transcoding, whereas Kodi allows direct streaming of the file over most basic network file sharing protocols. Kodi is way simpler. In my limited testing of Kodi on Series X (and One X, to be fair), it'll play 4K movies almost instantly after install - just point it at a network share, pick a file, play. I just tested this on my Series X and I was able to add a network share and start playing an x265 2160p movie within about a minute.

The other advantage of the Series X is it has an IR sensor and any cheap One For All or similar universal remote will most likely have a code to control it, so you don't have to waste money on the rather crappy PS5 media centre remote. Oh, and it's not media playback related but with Dev Mode enabled on the Series X, it'll emulate the PS2 and GameCube (among others) really well with RetroArch and some tweaking.

Typical Sony then, fixing some of their poorer design choices with the UI but some will always remain, a la PS3 (scrolling lists of doom) and PS4 (generally sluggish) and they all have poorly arranged settings menus with illogical layouts.

@Snake_V5 This becomes even worse when you realise that One and Series consoles can all have Kodi installed, which will stream almost any file format from a LAN NFS share or USB device with minimal config. Granted, it's not the best version of Kodi but it's a lot better than the PS5 which has... um... none. Also the PS5's media centre remote is terribly designed (why doesn't it have a rechargeable cell like the DualSense) and often ignores keypresses. It's lazy token design.

Pro-tip: if/when taking the panels off of the PS5 to fit an expansion SSD, consider taking the opportunity to clean the dust out of the fan and "gills" on the sides of the console. You'd be surprised how much dust gets in even if the console hasn't been used that much. The Series X has a superior airflow design even if that isn't perfect either.

For me, I don't own enough PS5 games for it to be worth dropping money on expansion yet. Having an external USB SSD drive for running the many more PS4 games is fine.

So they're finally putting some things in that should have been there at launch. Better later than never I guess.

While they're there can they also rip off Smart Delivery from Xbox so it automagically installs the current gen version and sorts the saves out too? Moving between Series X consoles is so much easier - if someone has the same game installed on theirs that I do, if I log in with my account it syncs the saves from the cloud and I can pick up right where I left off, in any game, even when I don't have Game Pass.

Can they also put in options to toggle the way the PS button works so it works the same as it did on the PS4, and make it quicker to jump back into games? Also sorting out their cluttered settings menus, but I'm certain they won't do that based on owning several PS3s and PS4s.

My personal thought on PS5 and Series S was, even if you don't think you need a disc drive probably better to get the model that has one, cos you never know, and the saving on used disc games will counterbalance the extra investment into the Disc version - granted the price gap is bigger between Series S and Series X but still.

@Link41x PS Vita OLED model with ensō cold boot mod, SD2VITA in game slot and 128GB or 256GB microSD card and you have yourself a great little machine. I've done this to mine and although I don't use it very often, it's got enough pinball games alone to be entertaining for a few hours.

@Luigia Which platform are you playing it on? I don't have the PS4 version to test on the PS5 (sold it with my PS4 Pro), but on the Series X it looks fine. I don't have the brightest 4K HDR panel but I used the calibrator on the console itself, then the one in game with the following settings :-

RDR2 HDR Calibration

• HDR Style: Game
• Peak Brightness: 800
• Paper White: 200

This looks way better than running it in SDR and isn't so bright it blows out the sky.

Still a great game though, yes, despite some annoying unfixed problems like every time you go fishing it runs the same "first time fishing tutorial", making Arthur look more like John, the pointlessness of the Guarma chapter for padding and randomly putting guns back on the horse when it feels like it. I guess now they've made their money from the single player campaign, mostly, they're just trying to funnel people towards the pretty limp online mode, same as they did with GTA V.

PS5 :-

• inFAMOUS: Second Son - my god this looks great running at 60fps and it really makes it a better game, as does the HDR because last time I played it was on a base PS4.
• Bloodborne - the game engine may creak at this point and the shimmering anti-aliasing is annoying but there is no doubting the game rises above the technical limitations with it's superior lore, combat and creepy Gothic horror vibes.
• Returnal - really needs more time sunk into it to get better otherwise I'll never finish. It's sooooo good though.

Series X :-

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt GOTY - tried it for the first time in a few months, love the game but not feeling it right now.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 - a game in need of a 4K60 patch if ever there was one; R* being the money-grabbing b**ches they are these days though, we'll be left wanting for quite some time (GTA V still looks like it's running 720p30 despite all the money they've made from Online, for shame).
• Call of Duty: Black Ops: Zombies - It's over a decade old, sure, but this is my favourite Zombie mode before it got overly cartoony and stupid. Great as an online multiplayer, still.

@BAMozzy Now there's a man who likes his hyphens. 😃 Based on the context though, you're probably more after double quotes...

"The PS1 had so many games releasing weekly for it of which maybe 1 or 2 a month were regarded as 'great, memorable' games"

I think that might be nostalgia filtering a little. I don't quite remember there being hit after hit like that, but there were dozens of classics by the time the PS2 replaced it. Plenty of shovel on the system too, like the Men in Black movie tie in game, remember that one?

@Flaming_Kaiser If I was to sum it up more succinctly, I'd say the narrative is brilliant, the gameplay is basic.

@rjejr "The world is in a horrible place right now, companies might as well make money while they can."

Yep, that's capitalism for you. It's all a game of "how big can I make the number" for those who already have a lot, playing and exploiting a broken system. Ah well. Don't worry about the things you can't change, is my maxim on that front.

"Sportage"

Uh oh. 😂

@wiiware I actually love the fact they've gone more random, more political, more Boglins and other s**te 80s/90s toys, it's very they. I might check out Angry Joe though...

I think the framerate is a bit more solid on Series X (there's not much in it, but it doesn't dip below 60 as much) and it's still free for those of us with Game Pass Ultimate, but either way it's a thumping good game. I can't believe what is essentially an indie dev made such a pretty game that plays so well. Sure, there's niggles, but it's really not bad and will age well, unlike say playing The Witcher 3 first and then trying to go back and play the first one and being gobsmacked by how bad the game engine is.

@sanderson72 Well said. The one aspect of Astro's Playroom I don't care for is using the tilt control feature of the controller when in the spring suit, for example. It's like "Oh, this s**t again" - after the initial fun of Wii Sports years ago, I was basically done with motion controls forever.

Christopher Judge and Nolan North are standing on opposite sides of a bridge. Christopher is on his way to the Black Panther audition, Nolan is just leaving and spots Christopher. The bridge is up and Nolan is clinging to the lever.

Christopher Judge: "You! I must get across to my audition! Release the lever; extend the bridge!"

Nolan North: "No, no! I won't let you beat me! You won't get across, you monster! Your performance will tear me apart!"

Christopher Judge: "Coward!" [proceeds to use Zeus bolt to blast Nolan out of the way]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2K0O2n653I&t=314s

EDIT: Damn, that joke doesn't work as well now I know It was TC Carson in the OG GoW series. 🥴

@marty8370 Guess you can't proofread a five word snarky reply delivered weeks late. 😏

I see that Nintendo's approach to their games, i.e. shovel out old gen stuff with barely any polish added and sell for full price on the Switch, is starting to apply to their hardware too. Just money for old rope, essentially, as they haven't changed basically anything but the screen. Same potato hardware specs.

MVG did a video saying why this was hugely disappointing, especially being kneecapped by 4GB of RAM which is looking a little paltry considering Series X/PS5 are rocking a healthier 16GB. It's hard to expect more "impossible ports" like DOOM and The Witcher 3 when everyone's going to Unreal Engine 5 and it really needs the 8GB as a baseline, and ideally that 8GB with a much higher memory bandwidth than the Switch is capable of.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYJOJj40ONQ

@themightyant Yeah I'm not saying Nolan isn't skilled - he wouldn't get as much work if he couldn't hang - but his performances just don't move me in the same way Troy's do. That guy just has the little something extra, that "special sauce" which makes him stand out. He's good enough that if I were casting voice talent for a TV show, even if I didn't know what I'd want him to read for, I'd want Troy Baker to be sent a copy of that script. I expect given his range he could probably do several voices, like they used to do on The Simpsons before woke agendas suddenly decided only black actors can voice black characters and so forth - not to get too deep into it but I'm of Jewish origin and I really wouldn't care if a black actor played a Jewish character as long as the voice acting itself was good.

Let me put it this way... Returnal was the game that made me buy a PS5. It's the first "killer app" that you can't get anywhere else. Astro's Playroom is pretty good but isn't one of those "almost justifies the price alone" things. Games rarely are. This one is.

It's by the same team (more or less) whose games I've been playing since the AMiGA 1200 days of Super Stardust AGA, who reached new heights with Super Stardust Delta (a killer app for the Vita, again), took another quality notch up with Resogun and really feels like they've peaked with this one.

The controls, which they've always done well, are peerless. It's one of the best handling games ever made. If this were a supercar it would be a McLaren Senna - it does everything you want and more, and it's tight as a drum.

The visuals, while technically running at 1440p upscaled to 4K, are stunning. All those damn super bright particle effects racing at you and barely ever a frame drop or stutter in sight. The game engine is polished, runs smooth.

The difficulty? Well yeah, there is a fair bit. But if you've played and liked Soulsborne games this isn't going to stump you much, although the pacing is very different between those two games. They give you all the tools you need (well, apart from proper save points I guess), and it's up to you to become proficient in their use so you better Git Gud.

It's not a rogue like, though, not entirely. It's more of a bullet hell third person shooter with roguelike elements, for my money. It's more paying lip service to the idea of roguelikes without ever fully committing to them.

Downsides? Some bugs, the story is a bit thin (sometimes less is more, though) and the price. I got my copy used for half the RRP. Getting the PS5 Disc Edition was smart.

@wiiware He calls attention to the fact he's treading familiar ground and credits it as, well, people weren't listening the first time around and the problem is still there so it still needs to be addressed, kinda like how global warming hasn't gone away...

@Loftimus It's wryly amusing that you wrote Dead Space without the space 😏

@Divergent95 Given the sexual harassment scandals around Ubi, that seems like the lesser of two evils, certainly! 😊

@themightyant +1 for how great Troy Baker is as a voice actor. I don't rate Nolan North that much, but Troy really is talented. I think his work as Delsin Rowe in inFAMOUS: Second Son is my favourite - he strikes the tone of each line of dialogue perfectly, each time. And it's nice to play what is basically a superhero game where the superhero actually visibly and audibly enjoys themselves - Delsin whoops, hollers, salutes his fans, all kinds of things.

I've always said that for me, The Last of Us had a fantastic story coupled to a shallow/boring game, so it would work perfectly as a movie. Getting a TV show might be even better - more time for character development! Pretty exciting. Hope it turns out to be 7/10 or better.

@AdamNovice

Given EA's track record, "every future Star Wars game that EA makes will have MTX" is highly likely, or at least the majority of them.

I'm not "giving that impression" so much as being realistic, making a prediction based on what they've done before. Maybe they'll do insidious MTX, where it reviews and launches without to get praised for not having it, and then starts sneaking it in later when the good press is making for strong sales.

EA: Fallen Company (they were good once; I loved the Fight Night series until it got to Champion, which made a career mode out of a "fight every match with an annoying handicap" gameplay mechanic rather than just being able to win by being amazing at the game without one arm tied behind your back).

@Quintumply @AdamNovice The exception that proves the rule, sure. Pretty anomalous. Let's not all give EA the benefit of the doubt because for the odd game they don't put MTX in - that doesn't suddenly make them saints or absolve them for the dozens and dozens that they have.

@Mauzuri Not a weird comparison IMO - a good one. I don't get the love for The Last Of Us either - the first one was amazing storytelling coupled with linear level designs and very simple gameplay mechanics, kinda like a dumbed-down Metal Gear Solid. That's Naughty Dog for you eh?

Hah. Leaders of big companies should really be more careful and stop assuming they speak for everyone with their big, sweeping, inaccurate generalisations.

The most recent game I played that I remember as "just okay" (because it seemed like you'd always be fighting a tedious war of attrition against dozens of ticking clocks) was No Man's Sky. It was alright. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. I can see why some would like the gameplay loop but after 3 hours with it, I knew it wasn't for me.

All he needs to do to stop annoying people in this way is carefully qualify his statements. Rather than saying "Gamers", phrase it more like "Based on our research, some demographics of gamer..." therefore leaving room for reasonable doubt and that there are plenty of people who aren't included in the statement, rather than arrogantly assuming he speaks for all gamers.

Also, looking at reviews here and elsewhere from the people that have played it, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is "just okay" in a lot of gamer's eyes. It's been criticised for having shallow gameplay mechanics if I recall correctly, pretty though it is. So that's proof that long development cycles don't guarantee amazing games in everyone's eyes, I guess.

That's okay, whatever they do with Star Wars it'll be full of loathsome microtransactions anyway.

"EA is Evil, Actually" - Jim Sterling - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBHkurGE0lc

EDIT: Jedi: Fallen Order being an exception doesn't excuse all the games that are laced with MTX.

@musicologist83 That was certainly Sony's attitude when they cribbed from Xbox Live for their PS+ online elements, and achievements repurposed as trophies. The PlayStation controller has been and always will be an extended SNES one. Also, Astro's Playroom is basically a 3D Mario game with EVA from WALL*E's little brother as the main character.

...let's not get carried away and suggest Sony are super original and never copy/get inspired by their competitors now eh? 😏😃

It's the same kind of fan myopia that results in people walking around believing Apple invented everything tech when in fact they copy ideas and outright buy companies with ideas they want so no one else can have them. I swear there are people out there running around thinking Apple invented the touchscreen. Nope, although they did improve it somewhat.

@rjejr That's such (dual)senseless pricing.

@Oscarjpc It's a cool motorsport, underrated.

@sanderson72 Also ditto that for them replacing the SIXAXIS with the DualShock 3. All that talk about "we can't do motion control and vibration in the same pad" and then, lo and behold, that turned out to be false. Obviously just needed the engineers to work harder at the problem 😏

@Richnj You're assuming I took offense, honestly it's too trivial to get offended by so no, actually. 😏

@Robocod The moment I saw you'd used the lamesult "Xbots" I knew we had a "salty pony" on our hands 👐🏻😁

Joke. Fanboyism is tribalistic BS often spouted by those whose parents can only afford to buy them one console, in my experience.

@Th3solution I disagree. I have below averaged sized hands and I find the DualSense is a super comfy fit, almost as good as the Xbox Elite actually.