Messages

1

General / Re: May 2024 - Recently Added to Collection/Recently Purchased New

« on: May 31, 2024, 08:16:37 pm »

I've started going to yard sales lately, but I've not had any luck. I'm just not in the right area for it, really. Even Goodwill has had exactly zero games the three times I've been this month.

PlayStation
Triple Play 2001

PlayStation 4
Signalis

PlayStation 5 Accessory
Sony DualSense Wireless Controller CFI-ZCT1W Midnight Black

Videos
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Silent Hill

2

Modern Video Games / Re: May 30th Playstation State of Play

« on: May 31, 2024, 08:08:32 pm »

There's like five feudal Japan games here and none were Assassin's Creed Shadows, Rise of the Ronin DLC or Ghost of Tsushima 2. I don't know how people are supposed to remember the games shown when they blend in together.

There were actually zero games shown set in feudal Japan. If the three games you're referring to are Ballad of Antara, Dynasty Warriors: Origins, and Where Winds Meet, then the former is set in its own world, whereas the latter two are set in China.

I remember some of you guys writing off Stellar Blade in the last State of Play like their was nothing interesting at all shown, and it went on to smash sales records in April.

Actually, no one did that in our community, in that topic or in any other, based on search results for "stellar blade." Five people mentioned it specifically by name at that time—four praising it, one saying it wasn't for them. Another person dismissed a large portion of the event altogether, which is what I suppose you're suggesting by someone writing off Stellar Blade. Personally, the game isn't for me from everything I've gathered after its release.

The problem is that development time is now an ENTIRE generation for a single game. The games I'm looking forward to may not even release on PS5. That's how long it takes now. That makes it extremely difficult to overlook the tumbleweeds of Sony's first party offerings. They're relying on mediocre titles to carry the PS5 as a whole.

Lengthy development isn't exactly new to this generation. Likewise, subjectivity will always exist, but do you really consider Demon's Souls, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Astro's Playroom, Returnal, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, God of War Ragnarök, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Forbidden West, Final Fantasy XVI, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Helldivers II, Rise of the Ronin, and Stellar Blade "medicore" "tumbleweeds"? They've all released since PlayStation 5's launch as first-party games and have gained good reception with many performing quite well in the market. If that were the case, Sony's recently reported record profits simply wouldn't be true. Millions of people play on PlayStation, so, to be it lightly, you may want to consider that you're not a part of their core demographic anymore. Personally, I've felt like that since the PlayStation 3, but it's not bothered me. Obviously, not as many first-party games are being published unlike early generations due to development times, so that immense variety just isn't there. I agree with what kamikazekeeg mentioned before, that smaller games should be considered to be a part of the lineup to pad out any dry period, but that decision is on Sony, for better or worse.

3

Modern Video Games / Re: May 30th Playstation State of Play

« on: May 31, 2024, 06:04:18 pm »

Yeah, I really disagree with the PS5 hate. It feels like so many of these former PlayStation diehards, now suddenly have Steam and a competent PC setup and they're like "Huh, why is this game console so anemic, where are the exclusives bro?"

I know this wasn't specifically directed to me, or to me at all even, but when I mentioned wanting better exclusives, I personally meant from first-party studios because those will be console exclusives to PlayStation systems. I don't expect exclusivity from any third-party publisher.

With that said, I wouldn't even call myself a fan of Sony or PlayStation. Consumers don't owe any company their allegiance, and those who offer it like you're describing seem over-the-top. I've been apart of Sony's gaming ecosystem since the beginning, and I just prefer it over Xbox and PC. Sometimes, first-party projects do catch my attention—certainly far more than Xbox, anyway—but it's not often. In fact, it's never been often. Does that bother me? No.

From what I saw, Where Winds Meet looks cool, Path of Exile sort of interesting, Ballad of Antara looks good, Silent Hill of course, Monster Hunter Wilds of course looks good, you had some live-service slop naturally, and a handful of quality looking VR games which I'm sure are appreciated for those invested in the VR system. Even Dynasty Warriors is a series that I'm become a lot more interested in lately.

I've mentioned this sentiment before in other studio presentation topics, but I'll mention it again. These events cater to millions of people, each with their own personal tastes. If even one title interests you, the event succeeded in what it set out to do. And, if there isn't one, then it's not as if there aren't dozens of other games being developed. For this specific event, mostly Silent Hill 2 and Astro Bot caught my attention, but most of the other games shown seem to have quality for fans of those genres.

4

Modern Video Games / Re: May 30th Playstation State of Play

« on: May 31, 2024, 10:18:21 am »

Just for the record, Silent Hill 2 has always offered players the option to utilize tank or directional controls. I doubt they'll preserve that choice for the remake based on all the trailers shown so far, though.

I don't think I knew that at the time, but looking back it with a video, the controls seem abit scuff still.  I just prefer the over-the-shoulder camera view for games like this, it's been great for Resident Evil, so it'll be a nice way to experience this game.

For sure, everyone's got their preferences about camera and perspective. If you do end up playing the upcoming Silent Hill 2 remake, hopefully you enjoy it. I've read a fair amount of criticism of the game from other general gaming communities, but dedicated Silent Hill communities feel opposite. I'm greatly looking forward to it.

I feel like an outlier because I love my PS5.  It's the best PS4 on the market!

You're not alone. I only wish that there were more enticing exclusives, and ones that capitalize on the capabilities of the DualSense controller. For that second reason alone, Astro Bot will be a must-play, given Team Asobi's previous efforts.

5

Modern Video Games / Re: May 30th Playstation State of Play

« on: May 30, 2024, 07:33:56 pm »

I don't really have any expectations for the Silent Hill 2 remake, I never cared about the original games and this will be my first time playing the series other than a little bit of Silent Hill 4 back in the day, but getting these style of games without tank controls is something I'm looking forward to.

Just for the record, Silent Hill 2 has always offered players the option to utilize tank or directional controls. I doubt they'll preserve that choice for the remake based on all the trailers shown so far, though.

There's like five feudal Japan games here and none were Assassin's Creed Shadows, Rise of the Ronin DLC or Ghost of Tsushima 2. I don't know how people are supposed to remember the games shown when they blend in together.

The same way players always have. That sort of setting isn't uncommon, as dozens of games utilize it. The problem lies in gameplay, as nearly every modern game with such setting looks and plays the same on a general level.

All these reports that PS5 is Sony's most profitable system ever flabergasts me. I don't get it.

It's not that surprising. Sony's PlayStation 5 has been on the market for 3.5 years and has yet to receive any kind of price drop. Software prices have been raised, alongside the price for their subscription services. There has been a notable increase in remastered titles being sold again at a premium price, which I would assume yields a large profit. The live service model isn't going away anytime soon and comes across as if every multiplayer game implements it, so reading about that huge financial percentage increase for it is to be expected. Related to that last point, the rise of digital gaming in general can't be ignored either, and there's even a dedicated system without a disc drive. So, there is less money being lost on retail products, including the manufacturing process and the price cut retailers earn. Despite record profits, they'll downsize or close entire studios.

6

Modern Video Games / Re: May 30th Playstation State of Play

« on: May 30, 2024, 11:21:50 am »

This being a State of Play instead of a PlayStation Showcase is concerning. Not looking forward to more Fairgame$ which was identical to SEGA's Hyenas which SEGA cancelled before release despite it being finished. Rumors are the game Concord is kind of like a Guardians of the Galaxy vibe, doesn't sound the most enticing but we'll see. Bungie's Marathon game is probably too far away to be shown again. I think Sony forgot about the game Convallaria. No interest in Ghost of Tsushima 2, the unnecessary Until Dawn remake, Death Stranding 2. Bluepoint's original IP could finally be shown. Maybe Naughty Dog or Sony Santa Monica can close the show with a reveal of their next game but probably not if Ghost of Tsushima 2 is here.. the saving grace will be Astro Bot.

"Concerning" sounds over-dramatic, wouldn't you say? I don't think my personal tastes in games at any given time have ever really aligned to what Sony focuses on, so it's not surprising that none of these named projects interest me. If the live-service business model that's forced as the backbone to many modern games ever loses its prominence, perhaps that could change, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. The only exception to the above games listed that's caught my attention is the Until Dawn remake, but it's not something I'd feel urgent about buying, if I were to buy it at all. Does it really need a remake? Not really, no. It's been reported that the fixed camera angles are being removed in lieu of a third-person perspective, which I think won't be as effective in establishing a horror atmosphere, but I suppose there needs to be a major upfront difference between the two. Obviously, other smaller aspects such as new interactions and locations have also been mentioned, but I don't imagine these additions to be expansive.

The rumor is they are working on a RE: Zero and RE: CV remake, which are probably the right ones to remake as I think they would benefit being kinda considered the weaker games of the series.

Neither Resident Evil 0 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica are known to be weak games. In fact, the latter is often regarded as the best entry in the series. At this point, Capcom seems to be remaking every major older entry in the series so far, so it's inevitable for these to receive the same treatment too.

7

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Error Listings and rejected edits 2024

« on: May 29, 2024, 03:39:03 pm »

I wanted to update the platform from PC - Digital Download to Android, since the game is only available as a .apk: https://rouli.itch.io/plant-down

As it’s an Android-only (as a platform, I’m not talking of Google Play or whatever) game released on itch.io, I hardly see any conflict there though.

I wasn't aware itch.io's market offered games for Android devices. If you re-submit the edit, it will be approved.

8

General / Re: Which Generation Of Console Or PC Games You Think Contain The Best Graphics

« on: May 29, 2024, 11:06:00 am »

And back then the games were graphically diverse and interesting, unlike today were you get the feel that there are only 2 graphic sets available: Grey, boring, grab "realistic" worlds and NES style 2D Graphics.

Going by your account collection, the latest games you own are from the mid-2000s–early-2010s. This era of gaming is widely recognized as being bland with many AAA games relying on muted brown and gray colors. To a degree, that may still be the case with some AAA games, but smaller studios are more than willing to utilize color in attractive ways. Below are a collection of game screenshots, the earliest of which is from 2016.

9

General / Re: IGN just acquired a ton of their competitors

« on: May 28, 2024, 05:00:23 pm »

Game reviews became worthless as soon as streaming became available. I stopped reading them not because of what the authors wrote about, but that it wasn't helpful to me to decide if I wanted to play something or not. If I am interested in something and there is no demo available, I will watch someone streaming it. Then I can decide for myself whether I like it. Since games are not all about graphics or story or whatever else is typical to be graded in a game review.

For the average person, I'd imagine the amount of time they're willing to invest in vetting a game as something they'd want to play or not is low. If that's so, then watching someone stream a game instead of interacting with a review (written or visual) is only worthwhile for certain types of games with straightforward gameplay, like sports and rhythm. Any genre which has complex systems or a variety of gameplay mechanics will likely not all be shown in a few minutes of uninterrupted gameplay, so streaming seems limited.

Personally, I generally will watch video reviews. I feel that most reviewers across all things are simply bad at reviewing (mostly in regards to highly subjective point systems), so at least a variety of footage is offered with video reviews for me to decide if a game seems interesting enough.

Has anyone noticed the lack of indie reviews over the last several years? Unless the game has gone viral on streaming or social platforms, no one will cover it.

Some of that reason can probably be explained by the presence of content algorithms and the possibility of greater exposure when covering a hot topic. That said, there are still plenty of reviews for indie games, but maybe not as many for any one game in particular. People have access to hundreds if not thousands of newly-published games on any given day, so the pool is large.

10

General / Re: IGN just acquired a ton of their competitors

« on: May 27, 2024, 11:57:30 am »

I appreciate you confirming that there is no conservative gaming outlet capable of silencing opinions they don't like.

none of these conservative outlets would be able to "silence" the opinions (whatever that means) of those opposite to them.

I appreciate the clarification. By "silence", I mean deleting postings and banning users who express an "unpopular" opinion... even in a respectful way. If others aren't able to even read opposing viewpoints, which is the goal of any totalitarian system... then it would most certainly appear as though an opposing viewpoint is in the minority.

I first understood the expression on a more global scale, so this changes my outlook. Any outlet, regardless of its bias, is capable (which is the term you originally used) of silencing any opposing viewpoint, should they choose to do so. This is especially true in modern times with digital news, comments, and users accounts, as you've pointed out.

11

General / Re: IGN just acquired a ton of their competitors

« on: May 27, 2024, 11:16:56 am »

Search for the latest major "controversy" in gaming news. For example, you'll have luck when searching news for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Shadows regarding its protagonist. Similar to what tripredacus explained, this is more like "on the streets" reporting since these channels are largely independent, although I'm sure a considerable amount are sponsored. Regardless, these channels certainly have dedicated audiences.

I appreciate you confirming that there is no conservative gaming outlet capable of silencing opinions they don't like.

To clarify, I never claimed such outlets were successful by whatever metric you want to gauge that condition. They have their dedicated audiences, as I previously mentioned, but they're unpopular with the general public for a reason. Simply put, it is because their views do not align with the views of most who engage with them.

Again, this goes back to what tripredacus mentioned in that "[t]he big company's bias is driven by money and the regular person bias is their own opinions." So, you won't see a company like IGN publish those kinds of opinion pieces because there isn't any money to be earned expressing those beliefs as it's a minority opinion. By assuming a like-minded position with their audience, these larger companies can continue to grow and maintain readership since, again, they're popular opinions. With that understanding, none of these conservative outlets would be able to "silence" the opinions (whatever that means) of those opposite to them.

12

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Category/Platform Requests 2.0

« on: May 24, 2024, 01:34:51 pm »

I can't get to the Russian site that image is located on

Videogamekraken seems to indicate that the games for Giocatraduci and Agenda-Game are interchangeable.

http://tv-games.ru/wiki/Consoles/APFImaginationMachine.html

How these items are described from every source I've read doesn't clarify whether if Agenda-Game software can only be played on its corresponding hardware, or if its software is also compatible for Giocatraduci. To me, it doesn't really make sense for the latter to be true. It's worth noting that of the dozens of images and several videos I've seen, Giocatraduci hardware has always been paired with either of its two dedicated game cartridges, and never Grand Prix which is reported to be compatible for Agenda-Game.

13

Video Game Database Discussion / Re: Category/Platform Requests 2.0

« on: May 24, 2024, 10:54:14 am »

LCD Games
- Sanyo Giocatraduci (can also put the cart from Sanyo Agenda-Game into here)

Is the Arcadia II just branding or is it different or incompatible with Arcadia?

APF Imagination Machine looks to be an accessory, similar to say, Sega CD. It adds the ability for MP1000 to use cassettes. Will need an example of a retail released cassette existing before creating this sub-cat.

All three items from Sanyo can be submitted to the Sanyo Giocatraduci sub-cat, even though the Giocatraduci system is unable to play Agenda-Game games?

To my understanding, Arcadia II games cannot be played with Arcadia systems. This is due to the upgraded four projection slots which allow for elongated viewing cartridges to be inserted. Here is a a group photo of the three components needed to play just one game, which we can see is different than what the Arcadia system requires.

I've only been able to find one Imagination Machine cassette, given the system's rarity.

Requesting sub-cat for Toymax Accessory.
https://i.imgur.com/OWHufqJ.jpeg

14

Video Game Deals, Sales and Promotions / Re: Free Steam/GOG/Humble Bundle Game listings (limited timing)

« on: May 24, 2024, 09:18:42 am »

Warhammer 40K: Galdius - Relics of War is currently free on Steam and GOG.  Good for at least another day or so.

Unless I'm mistaken, I believe both deals are available through May 30. So, that just means more time for anyone interested to add them to their libraries.

15

General / Re: IGN just acquired a ton of their competitors

« on: May 23, 2024, 06:24:49 pm »

Both left and right wing politics have a vocal voice within the industry. While journalism itself may be dominated by the former, there are just as many news coverage and reactionary YouTube channels for the latter, which the argument could be made are just as influential with their respective audiences.

Please give me examples of conservative leaning gaming media. Not poking the bear. Genuinely want to know about them so I can watch their content.

Search for the latest major "controversy" in gaming news. For example, you'll have luck when searching news for the upcoming game Assassin's Creed Shadows regarding its protagonist. Similar to what tripredacus explained, this is more like "on the streets" reporting since these channels are largely independent, although I'm sure a considerable amount are sponsored. Regardless, these channels certainly have dedicated audiences.