Games to look forward to!

So the plot of The Last of Us: Part II apparently got leaked [spoilers ahead]. It doesn't look good, based on the fan reactions so far (I haven't read them myself yet).

Now I'm not sure if I want to get it. On the one hand, I enjoyed the first game enough to look forward to its sequel. On the other, this game is looking more and more like it's not going to measure up to the first one. A friend of mine who's a huge fan (to say the least) of the first one is even considering skipping out on part 2 after reading the leaks. I'm curious to know if this is simply because of a disagreement on where the story's going, or because it's just plain bad, but I'd have to read the spoilers to find out :ganishka:.

Decisions, decisions.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Just so you know, I removed the link to the spoilers from your post. Given how they were obtained (stealing and leaking material) and the fact they spoil pivotal moments from the game I think it's better to let people deliberately search for them if they really want to. That aside, I don't have big expectations for the game myself. Will get it if it gets good reviews basically, but I won't lose sleep over it otherwise.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
So the plot of The Last of Us: Part II apparently got leaked [spoilers ahead]. It doesn't look good, based on the fan reactions so far (I haven't read them myself yet).

Now I'm not sure if I want to get it. On the one hand, I enjoyed the first game enough to look forward to its sequel. On the other, this game is looking more and more like it's not going to measure up to the first one. A friend of mine who's a huge fan (to say the least) of the first one is even considering skipping out on part 2 after reading the leaks.

I was going to mockingly post this news and the possibility people say fuck it now, but restrained myself. But since you brought it up...


These guys really do think they're bringing us the word of God or something. Yeah, the last few days have been tough all over, what with the thousands dead game leaks. And, coincidentally enough, the game has a new release date of June 19th now (well, that was fruitful; I'm sure all logistical issues will be solved by then =)! I'll make sure to pick up a physical copy, just for Sony...

...off ebay! :troll:


See, I don't need Last of Us 2 to feel like a pissy teenager again, and it does feel good. :guts:
 
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Some new Cyberpunk 2077 stuff, including trailer and some gameplay + analysis:

This game looks like holy fucking shit crazy. We're definitely on the very end of the generation, lol.

Can't wait : )
 
So I’m going to have to admit to being a hypocrite and say that I’m fully invested in the RE4 Remake LEAKS now.

Before when Aaz posted about it I had this kind of brazen uncalled for reaction.

But the guy leaking recently said they’re adding Dr. Salvador LORE to the game. He also insinuated they’ll be changing the controls in a way that will change the environments or enemies in some way. He also said that Capcom is putting more effort into the game compared to RE3 remake.

With all that said I’m dubious that they’ll be able to create something reminiscent of the original. Let alone with any kind of impact for new resident evil players. We won’t know for a long time. But I thought the Dr. Salvador thing was kind of funny.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Wally, Spelunky 2 next month, congratulations!

Good thing they didn't make it for PS5 along with all those other games that clearly don't need to be on PS5. I'm going to be so mad at myself when I buy one just to play some dumb remake and then wait two years for any worthwhile exclusives.
 
Wally, Spelunky 2 next month, congratulations!

Good thing they didn't make it for PS5 along with all those other games that clearly don't need to be on PS5. I'm going to be so mad at myself when I buy one just to play some dumb remake and then wait two years for any worthwhile exclusives.

Hey, at least you'll have a (or another) UHD player. ;)
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I like that with gorgeous imagery like this to choose from...

demons02.jpg


...this is the prospective cover art:

demons03.jpg


I recall something about how interesting games often had to use the dumbest possible covers to appeal to mass audiences. The example used, perfectly, was Bioshock Infinite.

And this just gave me a chuckle:

7T7CYHn.png
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Yeah, it looks good and I was already tempted, so if Microsoft's aggressive pricing forces Sony to follow suit it's going to be tough to resist, especially since "the latest PlayStation" is probably the safest bet in console gaming. I got a used PS4 for basically the same reason, to play the FromSoftware exclusive, but it's fair to say it's been one of my favorite console experiences otherwise, certainly of my adult life. Hopefully, the 5 will follow suit and not inadvertently be a huge pain in the ass somehow (the giant white panels are a bad start =)
 
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I was already tempted, so if Microsoft's aggressive pricing forces Sony to follow suit it's going to be tough to resist
I doubt they’ll make the digital ps5 as cheap as the series s. After all it’s only the disc drive that’s missing, even 100€ ($) less would be a surprise since they probably make a loss with the 499€ already, too.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I think MS was pretty smart in reading the room. Lacking a disc drive? Not a big deal, really. But underclocking it and trimming the cost accordingly for a more general audience is going to position them to expand their customer base beyond what Sony is offering. A limited number of fans care more about 4K than price point.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I doubt they’ll make the digital ps5 as cheap as the series s. After all it’s only the disc drive that’s missing, even 100€ ($) less would be a surprise since they probably make a loss with the 499€ already, too.

Oh, I highly doubt they'd even be able to match it, for one because it's not the same drastic difference between models as you say, but also because I don't think they have to. This does set a market though and Sony won't want to relinquish their advantage by being uncompetitive price-wise, so if it keeps them on the low end of those estimated PS5 prices all the better. Basically, if the PS5 digital is $450 or less, there's a good chance people like me jump sooner or later, if it's more then that becomes tenuous, but then maybe they can't even afford to go below $500 given what's under the hood. I feel like they have to at least sell the digital for $500 now to match the X and try for $550 for the disc version (stay away from $599, count the extra $49 cost per unit to the marketing budget =). Then they can argue their platform is going to be better overall to justify the increase, but if they can get the digital PS5 anywhere between the S and X that's a strong case for the most bang for your buck.

I think MS was pretty smart in reading the room. Lacking a disc drive? Not a big deal, really. But underclocking it and trimming the cost accordingly for a more general audience is going to position them to expand their customer base beyond what Sony is offering.

Yeah, I don't know if it works in the end, we'll see how Sony responds (X-Box "S" is for "SHIT"!), but it's a shrewd move by Microsoft to change the status quo and put pressure on Sony to either roll out something potentially hundreds more than the competition or fuck themselves on the cost. Conversely, the closer Sony can get to that price the easier it is to sell that you're getting more for your money, but at what point is it even worth it to them (either way MS is spoiling their fun =)?

My hope is they bite the bullet of course and I get a cheap PS5 since I don't have strong incentive to get an X-Box even if they were giving them away (hopefully Sony isn't counting on that, but I wouldn't be surprised). That could change though since unlike the previous generation the X-Box seems to have the edge on both affordability and top of the line specs, and more consumer-friendly practices and compatibility with a large back catalog. For all we know Sony won't even be able to match either price point. If Sony ends up with better exclusives again it may not matter in the end, like how PS3 seemingly lost every battle but still eventually outsold the 360, but until those games materialize it's tough being the more expensive and arguably inferior system from launch. It's not going to be the better for cheaper no-brainier the PS4 was.

A limited number of fans care more about 4K than price point.

Generally true overall, but to your example look at how many TVs and other electronics, including consoles, terms like "4K" have sold. It depends on what you're getting for your money, or more importantly what you think you're getting. There's definitely a market for people that just want "the best" however one defines it, and if Sony can thread the needle between price and that perception, especially with their brand power, MS better have a better marketing strategy beyond, "We're the budget model!” We pay more for Classic Coke than Safeway Select, after all. I can totally see this being Sony's attitude.

 
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Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
I'm trying to get some more mileage out of my Wii U while my daughter watches her edutainmental programming and was wondering if Mario Maker was worth the effort of getting it used for cheap (it's still 59.99 new, Jesus fuck Nintendo)? Like is this going to be hours of obsessive fun making my own perfect Mario game or a pain in the ass where I end up with one shitty unplayable level screen but it was supposedly all about the journey of creation?
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I'm trying to get some more mileage out of my Wii U while my daughter watches her edutainmental programming and was wondering if Mario Maker was worth the effort of getting it used for cheap (it's still 59.99 new, Jesus fuck Nintendo)? Like is this going to be hours of obsessive fun making my own perfect Mario game or a pain in the ass where I end up with one shitty unplayable level screen but it was supposedly all about the journey of creation?
I can't speak to the first game, but I bought the sequel on Switch close to launch, and barely played it. I found the level build interface to be a pain, made half a level, played a half dozen shitty levels, but otherwise haven't touched it. I know some people really got into it, but all I experienced were very gimmicky, non-Mario levels.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well then, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze it is, even though it plays like Kong Souls sometimes with the trap deaths and three phase bosses and shit. I'm trying to relax with some easy Nintendo games here!

Anyway, I still can't believe how shitty the pricing is on the Wii U eShop. I mean, they don't need to give the store away to make up for it being a bust, but it'd be nice if they'd at least be competitive with used prices, make Mario Maker $20, which is still a lot for an obsolete console, instead of $60 so I could at least justify it to myself if I liked it. Ugh, I'll stick to what I got on here, maybe I'm just destined to replay BotW.
 
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Anyway, I still can't believe how shitty the pricing is on the Wii U eShop, I mean, they don't need to give the store away to make up for it being a bust, but I'd be nice if they'd at least be competitive with used prices, make Mario Maker $20, which is still a lot for an obsolete console, instead of $60 so I could at least justify it to myself if I liked it.
Sounds like this is a console store problem, Sony’s pricing is often absurd, too.
As I’m not a pc gamer: is the competition that high for steam to pretty much always have these big discounts? I think their model is also that you buy more games than you can play and hence spend more than you’d initially think but that’d work on consoles, too, right? The biggest reason for me to not get the digital PS5.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
As I’m not a pc gamer: is the competition that high for steam to pretty much always have these big discounts? I think their model is also that you buy more games than you can play and hence spend more than you’d initially think but that’d work on consoles, too, right? The biggest reason for me to not get the digital PS5.

Steam's success came from a variety of factors, but the regular sales were certainly a key part of it. In the past, games would keep the same official price even 10 years after release. An insane situation that pushed people (rightfully so) towards the used market. The introduction of sales was welcome by everyone (well except Gamestop I guess), especially once publishers realized it actually boosted their revenue. And to answer your question: yes, the competition on Steam is insane and few games actually are successful compared to how many get published there.
 
The introduction of sales was welcome by everyone (well except Gamestop I guess), especially once publishers realized it actually boosted their revenue. And to answer your question: yes, the competition on Steam is insane and few games actually are successful compared to how many get published there.
Thanks, although my question was meant as in competition for steam, I didn't consider the competition the publishers have on the platform alone and I guess that's sufficient. So this answers it :)
Time for Sony, Nintendo (and probably Microsoft) to adapt, then my digital game collection would probably be higher than 2 games (excluding all the PS+ games).
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
At least PS4 did a summer sale with deep discounts, but yeah, if you missed your game it's probably $59.99 again, even if it's years old. I'm used to steam where list prices regularly drop to $40 or even $20 depending on how old it is.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
Thanks, although my question was meant as in competition for steam, I didn't consider the competition the publishers have on the platform alone and I guess that's sufficient. So this answers it :)
Time for Sony, Nintendo (and probably Microsoft) to adapt, then my digital game collection would probably be higher than 2 games (excluding all the PS+ games).

Honestly the best deals for games as far as I'm concerned are often found on Amazon where games will sometimes be 33% cheaper on launch day than in some retail stores. For Sony, I'd say their "classics" collection is alright, allows you to get great games at a reasonable price once a few years have passed. A bunch of my PS4 games are digital due to that. Nintendo sure doesn't do that... And other than that, I think Microsoft has gone another (but equally interesting) way with Xbox Gamepass where you get access to 150 games as part of a monthly subscription.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Honestly the best deals for games as far as I'm concerned are often found on Amazon where games will sometimes be 33% cheaper on launch day than in some retail stores.

Yep, if I miss a digital sale or can't otherwise find a deal I can almost always get a hard copy off amazon for two thirds the price, or less. I just did so with Mario Maker and that Star Fox game that's supposed to suck.

For Sony, I'd say their "classics" collection is alright, allows you to get great games at a reasonable price once a few years have passed. A bunch of my PS4 games are digital due to that. Nintendo sure doesn't do that...

What about the half dozen games they add to Nintendo Selects!? I guess games not big or good enough to join the cheaper Selects line... are more expensive for some reasons.

I think Microsoft has gone another (but equally interesting) way with Xbox Gamepass where you get access to 150 games as part of a monthly subscription.

There may be some more big names on there soon, as they just bought Bethesda parent company ZeniMax for 7.5 bil.
 
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Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
What about the half dozen games they add to Nintendo Selects!? I guess games not big or good enough to join the cheaper Selects line... are for some reason more expensive.

I'm behind the times, didn't even know about the Selects thing. Good on them though.

There may be some more big names on there soon, as they just bought Bethesda parent company ZeniMax for 7.5 bil.

Indeed! Will be nice to be able to play those games without supporting the corporate scumbags at Zenimax too.
 
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