Random Gaming Talk Thread

[paprikastaude]

[Rufus]

No map. Boo.

[demi]

Wait, I see PSP store is still dead.

That being said,

-PSP doesn't have the CMOS issue and picking up a used PSP in 10 years can still play all physical PSP games.
-I didn't even realize PSP had a digital storefront  , we weren't really at that point yet in consoles/portables. Afaik there are no "patches" for PSP games and my entire PSP library is physical

So PSP store closing is bad in spirit and I don't like it because it signals that PS3/Vita may follow at some point, but in itself probably has pretty minimal effects on game preservation.

Nobody actually uses physical PSP games since it's dumb fuckin easy to CFW and put all your games on a memory stick

[Nintex]

Sony probably had vallid reasons to close it. I'd like to see sales numbers before they made this decision.
My guess is that not that many people were still buying digital PS3 games (single digits?) but I imagine the used physical market was still doing pretty decent numbers.

Then again if no one is using it than operating costs are also low.

[Bebpo]

Sony has been fucking weird about all this. I feel they underestimated the how much people are willing to pay for old stuff if give the possibility to be able to buy it. I feel they are thinking in trying to imitate Microsoft initiatives.

I don't think that's the case at all.

I think it was basically servers & support cost money, old products get discontinued all the time after a decade+, was a way to cut some costs and save some money.

Then they got very public bad press everywhere to the point where it was in mainstream news articles and they said "oh shit, this is bad for our brand" and they reversed course. The end.


I feel like Sony generally ignores Microsoft which is why they're behind MS on a lot of stuff. The only situation that they seem to be paying any attention to is Game Pass with talks of Sony coming up with their own Game Pass version.

That has not stopped them before, specially with Jim Ryan. Is also not the first time it happens to a mainstream console digital store (Nintendo says hi). The fact they reversed course is the thing it weirds me out. There is no reason to do it unless there is genuine profit that didn’t see before this decision.

This is the worst press I can remember them getting a very, long time. Like $599 PS3 launch price bad.

[Nintex]

Sony has been fucking weird about all this. I feel they underestimated the how much people are willing to pay for old stuff if give the possibility to be able to buy it. I feel they are thinking in trying to imitate Microsoft initiatives.

I don't think that's the case at all.

I think it was basically servers & support cost money, old products get discontinued all the time after a decade+, was a way to cut some costs and save some money.

Then they got very public bad press everywhere to the point where it was in mainstream news articles and they said "oh shit, this is bad for our brand" and they reversed course. The end.


I feel like Sony generally ignores Microsoft which is why they're behind MS on a lot of stuff. The only situation that they seem to be paying any attention to is Game Pass with talks of Sony coming up with their own Game Pass version.

That has not stopped them before, specially with Jim Ryan. Is also not the first time it happens to a mainstream console digital store (Nintendo says hi). The fact they reversed course is the thing it weirds me out. There is no reason to do it unless there is genuine profit that didn’t see before this decision.

This is the worst press I can remember them getting a very, long time. Like $599 PS3 launch price bad.

It was the perfect storm with the Sony Japan news and focus on AAAA+ walking simulator blockbuster games at the expense of experimental games.

If they had dropped this on a friday afternoon in the middle of August it wouldn't have made the same impact.

[tiesto]

Looks like these are the only PSP releases that are digital only and will be lost to time:

Ape Quest - English release is digital only
Brandish: The Dark Revenant - English release is digital only
LocoRoco Midnight Carnival

I think all 3 have physical releases in Japan...

Is Brandish any good? The snes one was pretty bad... but the Falcom fan in me needs it.

[MMaRsu]

Sony has been fucking weird about all this. I feel they underestimated the how much people are willing to pay for old stuff if give the possibility to be able to buy it. I feel they are thinking in trying to imitate Microsoft initiatives.

I don't think that's the case at all.

I think it was basically servers & support cost money, old products get discontinued all the time after a decade+, was a way to cut some costs and save some money.

Then they got very public bad press everywhere to the point where it was in mainstream news articles and they said "oh shit, this is bad for our brand" and they reversed course. The end.


I feel like Sony generally ignores Microsoft which is why they're behind MS on a lot of stuff. The only situation that they seem to be paying any attention to is Game Pass with talks of Sony coming up with their own Game Pass version.

That has not stopped them before, specially with Jim Ryan. Is also not the first time it happens to a mainstream console digital store (Nintendo says hi). The fact they reversed course is the thing it weirds me out. There is no reason to do it unless there is genuine profit that didn’t see before this decision.

This is the worst press I can remember them getting a very, long time. Like $599 PS3 launch price bad.

Remember when psn got hacked and it was down forever?

[Boredfrom]

And both times were when they were not in the lead. Maybe the combination of bad news was the cause because is more weird to me that the mainstream suddenly cares about digital preservation.

[demi]

Free Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete (comes with DLC expansion)

https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP9000-CUSA10237_00-HRZCE00000000000

[chronovore]

[BIONIC]

Would suck if she pooted right then

Would it? 

[chronovore]

(Image removed from quote.)

http://twitter.com/full_sauce/status/1384212565585121280

[ZombieSupaStar]

So looking at game pass and how indie developers are responding, is this just basically game developer welfare? So many stories of game developers saying “man I have x amount of players I would have never gotten without Microsoft” doesn’t that just kind of affirm that there’s too many games now? The only way your game gets seen is if a corporate entity cuts you a check, and let’s you into their walled garden?

Kinda sad, back in the day indie developers made games and hoped they were good and sold and made money. Now that everyone and their grandmother can fire up unity, it seems the end goal is to get that buyout cash. Like how startups are made mostly to hopefully be bought out by a big Corp.

Also game pass continues to be a joke on PC. Ok carry on.

[Great Rumbler]

So looking at game pass and how indie developers are responding, is this just basically game developer welfare? So many stories of game developers saying “man I have x amount of players I would have never gotten without Microsoft” doesn’t that just kind of affirm that there’s too many games now? The only way your game gets seen is if a corporate entity cuts you a check, and let’s you into their walled garden?

Kinda sad, back in the day indie developers made games and hoped they were good and sold and made money. Now that everyone and their grandmother can fire up unity, it seems the end goal is to get that buyout cash. Like how startups are made mostly to hopefully be bought out by a big Corp.

Also game pass continues to be a joke on PC. Ok carry on.

I don't really see how that's a bad thing, though?

[Don Rumata]

Similar to digital art, you "just" need to stand out increasing quality significantly.

[ZombieSupaStar]

So looking at game pass and how indie developers are responding, is this just basically game developer welfare? So many stories of game developers saying “man I have x amount of players I would have never gotten without Microsoft” doesn’t that just kind of affirm that there’s too many games now? The only way your game gets seen is if a corporate entity cuts you a check, and let’s you into their walled garden?

Kinda sad, back in the day indie developers made games and hoped they were good and sold and made money. Now that everyone and their grandmother can fire up unity, it seems the end goal is to get that buyout cash. Like how startups are made mostly to hopefully be bought out by a big Corp.

Also game pass continues to be a joke on PC. Ok carry on.

I don't really see how that's a bad thing, though?

I’d rather the industry be able to sustain itself on the old “make something good, it sells enough to make another thing etc” but as with movies and music we’ve taught everyone that billions of hours of content is worth 15 bucks a month. So I guess it’s play ball with the sub services and whatever changes needed to be made to increase engagement, or make no money when people balk at 15 bucks for one game. Unless of course it’s Nintendo or the next gta.

Edit: what really makes my skin crawl is the term “ecosystem” it’s just a cute way to refer to the cattle that your trying to continually milk for ALL the money. I’m just old man yelling at cloud I guess now, I hate consolidation. I think Microsoft, Facebook, google, Amazon, Apple  etc should all be shattered and not allowed to become what they have but that’s a whole nother rant lol.

[Rufus]

Welcome to capitalism. Overproduction is what we're good at (possibly the only thing).

[Don Rumata]

Admittedly it feels a bit harder to just fly under the radar and do your thing nowadays, when everything seems to refer back to those same 5 massive companies.
But maybe it's just an impression.

When something like Youtube or Twitch is so much bigger than any competition, is it really a fair statement to say "it's a private company, if you don't like it, go to a competitor".
I think this mentality will have to be heavily revised in the near future.

[bork]

https://twitter.com/aceattorneygame/status/1384884633893052419

[Rufus]

I think this mentality will have to be heavily revised in the near future.

Hopefully by braking them up, rather than mandating access or worse.

[Bebpo]

I still feel like this game is gonna be straight up dumpster fire trash, but as a jrpg nerd I'll give this a play and hopefully it will surprise me. Last Tales I liked was Graces and that was only for the battle system.

Also the combat in this one looks more like Star Ocean to me than Tales.

They pretty much lost me at Xillia. I think I played through every.single.tales.game until Xilia and then I got bored and shelved it and everything has been meh since.

[paprikastaude]

looks good to me.

[demi]

Berseria is considered one of the best entries, but go off king

[Bebpo]

That's because Tales fans are not to be trusted.

Hell, Symphonia is like the #1 highest revered game and it's pretty mediocre. Same with Vesperia outside the art and first half story.

Abyss is a better game than either of those but people shit on it all the time.

[thetylerrob]

Symphonia mediocre?
 

[mormapope]

Symphonia is the only Takes game I beat. Probably one of the most comfy, summer time Gamecube games of all time.

[demi]

Symphonia mediocre?
 

Bebpo has this weird high standard for whatever reason.

I like Symphonia, Vesperia [and] Abyss

[thetylerrob]

Yeah all of the games developed by the Symphonia team were great. I haven't played anything past Vesperia but this new one looks pretty cool.

[Rahxephon91]

How about Tales is just bad? Symphonia is overrated by Nintendo fanboys. Vesperia gets buy because it was the one that looked like it had a budget. Xillia and its copy and paste sequel are the pits when it came to jrpg world design. Beseria was decent at best. Graces is the definition of good combat, but bad everything else.

I will still try this one, if only because I can actually tell it a part from the last decade of 3d console Tales games.

[Bebpo]

How about Tales is just bad? Symphonia is overrated by Nintendo fanboys. Vesperia gets buy because it was the one that looked like it had a budget. Xillia and its copy and paste sequel are the pits when it came to jrpg world design. Beseria was decent at best. Graces is the definition of good combat, but bad everything else.

I will still try this one, if only because I can actually tell it a part from the last decade of 3d console Tales games.

As an ex-Tales fan I can agree on this.

All the ones I actually like have a pretty bad story/cast but good combat like Graces, Rebirth.

I feel like the ones that actually have a decent cast/story tend to have either bland gameplay (Symphonia/Vesperia/all the PS3 ones) or good, but nothing amazing gameplay like Abyss.

Tales of Eternia is honestly probably the best one for balance of cast & gameplay. It's not super deep but it's pretty fun and has a likeable cast and doesn't outstay its welcome. Phantasia/Destiny are ok too. Destiny Remake is pretty good.

Like Legendia looks and sounds amazing but the combat is so boring and the cast is pretty boring. Tales always struggles to nail every strength in the same game.

Zesteria had great music again, but the story was whatever and combat was weird and just ok.

Berseria I didn't like. The cast/story was fine, but I thought it had one of the worst field maps in Tales and I didn't like the battle system which was weird  like Zesteria and I guess Arise will be? They keep trying to make these new games not play like traditional Tales of games which is...stupid? I mean Tales of was fun because the battle system worked without reinventing the wheel. 

Anyhow I'm just an old fogey with weird niche jrpg tastes. Tales of was fun when I was young and full of anime, but it just feels like a C-tier jrpg now and can't compete with Atlus or SE or even Falcom jrpgs anymore.

[demi]

Who is saying Tales is good? Weebs? Tales games are junk food games. Junk food is filling. Delicious empty calories

You fucking weirdos making arguments out of everything

[Bebpo]

I think at one point they used to be hanging up there with FF/DQ/SMT/Persona as the premier jrpgs.

But that was like 15 years ago at this point... 

[Rahxephon91]

Tales games are like 50+ hours. Junk food shouldn't take so long to get through.

[MMaRsu]

Tales games are.. meh

[Tasty]

Abyss was fun but annoying.

[MMaRsu]

I only liked the tales game where the bad guy (?) Is Liquid Snakes voice actor

[demi]

Can't wait to support hard working japanese developers when Tales of Arise comes to Xbox 

[Nintex]

Self induced existential dread and depression Nier Replicant ver 133780085 has shipped

[Rufus]

That's because Tales fans are not to be trusted.

Hell, Symphonia is like the #1 highest revered game and it's pretty mediocre. Same with Vesperia outside the art and first half story.

Interesting. I gave up on Vesperia after the party establishes their guild. Felt like things got just started, but I was already forcing myself to play.

[bork]

[tiesto]

I used to play the 'mothership' Tales games as soon as they were available in English, but Graces F kinda killed that for me. I didn't like anything about that one - even the highly coveted battle system didn't feel that much of an improvement over other Tales.

I watched my friend play Xillia and it looked nice... and I've heard so much praise for Berseria, but Vesperia was still the high point of the series for me. I'm hyped for Arise though, the graphics definitely look an improvement over the rest of the series.

[demi]

Xillia was a chore and totally worth its ire
Xillia 2 was slightly better, but still the same issues. I liked Ludger as a lead at least
Zestiria was pretty enjoyable but still had some issues. The segment with Rising Up was great.



Berseria was really good, loved the cast, Velvet is a great lead. Ending was nice too, and it was nice that it was a prequel so it took place in the same world as Zestiria.

[paprikastaude]

They need to bring back puzzles from Symphonia and prior.

[Don Rumata]

Whenever you think Ubisoft's writing can't get any worse...

[Nintex]

Gameplay looks so generic too 

[benjipwns]

So looking at game pass and how indie developers are responding, is this just basically game developer welfare? So many stories of game developers saying “man I have x amount of players I would have never gotten without Microsoft” doesn’t that just kind of affirm that there’s too many games now? The only way your game gets seen is if a corporate entity cuts you a check, and let’s you into their walled garden?

Kinda sad, back in the day indie developers made games and hoped they were good and sold and made money. Now that everyone and their grandmother can fire up unity, it seems the end goal is to get that buyout cash. Like how startups are made mostly to hopefully be bought out by a big Corp.

You have a too rosy view of the past. The cycle has always been startups -> consolidation -> new startups -> consolidation -> new startups.

There's more indie developers than ever and far more are sustainable than ever. They are almost universally playing the field rather than hooking up with a walled garden from day one.

Microsoft's recent purchases have been all over the place in terms of where those companies exist in the cycle. Their biggest purchase was of a publisher that existed for 30 years that had itself gobbled up a bunch of indies (id, Arkane, etc.) in the last cycle of consolidation. Even Epic put more money into well established developers and publishers than it did buying indies. (And they themselves were independent until this decade.)

And we'll probably see, in two or three years, especially once this generation gets established, probably a whole new wave of indies spinning out of Microsoft and Epic's purchases.

Look at someone like Peter Molyneux, his career is this cycle. Bullfrog (1987) -> Sells to EA (1995) -> Lionhead (1997) (Plus Mucky Foot, Lost Toys, Media Molecule, Big Blue Box, etc. all spinning out of Bullfrog) -> Sells to Microsoft (2006) -> 22cans (2012). (Probably hasn't sold to anybody because they haven't produced anything. )

[Pissy F Benny]

how can you forget that cube game on mobile that ended up being some weird scam

[HardcoreRetro]

Curiosity: What's Inside the Cube?

Having the final prize being a giant fuck you was pretty cool.

[Pissy F Benny]

 

molyneux da gawd

[MMaRsu]

Moleyneux is crazy af haha but I love most of his games

[Pissy F Benny]

E3 becoming boring and shite probably directly correlates with Big Pete not going there anymore and talking mad shit and inventing key features on the spot for a game that ships in 4 months

[Great Rumbler]

Moleyneux is crazy af haha but I love most of his games

It's been well over a decade since he made anything of value, though.

[Pissy F Benny]

godus was the game of the decade

[Great Rumbler]

no

[Nintex]

Just wait for the corpo's at Microsoft to mess up their new Fable project (again) so Molyneux is brought back to CONTINUE THE JOURNEY.

[Pissy F Benny]

You already posted the press release for when it happens!

Starting a new Journey for Fable!

We hope you were as excited as we are taking a first look at the new Fable experience we are creating.
Our community of Fablies is very important to us and based on your feedback we realized we need a bit more time to
create the ultimate Fable experience that fans have been waiting for.

To make this possible we've asked Peter Molyneux to join the team at PlayGround Games.
For those of you Steves and Sea of Thievers that have recently discovered Xbox -
Peter Molyneux was the original creator of Fable and pushed innovation at Xbox Studios (known then as Microsoft Game Studios) to new levels.
We welcome Peter to the team and before we take you on this new Fable Journey a few words from Peter.

Peter Molyneux: "Fable to me is a dream. The project that I originally created and I always wanted to go back to.
I am very grateful that Xbox Studios has once again put their faith in me. You could say I feel like Atlas
carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. And with that same responsibility I will assume duties
as creative director of this new massive, immersive and beautiful Fable experience. Powered by the latest technology.

When you wake up in this new world as Atlas, Richard, Hercules, Odessa or Margaret,
you will feel immersed by vast cities, with independent AI for every NPC. These NPC's can fall in love and start families,
creating an infinite number of new characters who will move into the world and start new towns and cities.
There can be love, there can be war, there can be festivities, there can be adventure and most of all there will be dreams.
Fable is the game of your dreams and Xbox will power those dreams and we can't wait to show you more in the future!"

Dream on Fablies!

[MMaRsu]

Moleyneux is crazy af haha but I love most of his games

It's been well over a decade since he made anything of value, though.

I thought he quit gaming development?

[Great Rumbler]

Supposedly 22cans is still working on something.

[Pissy F Benny]