I've been grinding away at Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Spent the last few days running up against the brick wall of the Chapter Twelve Two-against-four boss fight that still manages to make you feel outnumbered. I was suspicious of just how the insistent the game was about checking out the battle arena, but it kind of feels mandatory if you want to get through that fight. Also managed to get spoiled for that Chapter 14 boss fight while looking up strategies, so I've got that to look forward to.
I mean it's not like Sony doesn't have a history of failing to support their peripherals with first-party titles. Then again adding PC support feels like they recognize there aren't enough first-party titles and are trying to pad the library of games out. At least it means the VR2 is less likely to just sit around collecting dust.
Good for them. Also glad they are going to continue developing the KOTOR remake, although with everything that's happened with that project it feels like it will be years before we see it again.
This is GREAT news. This means they can focus on making great original games and not be dragged into working on call of duty. Please just give me a new Spyro.
So, they're no longer part of Activision and presumably no longer part of Microsoft, but they want to keep working with Microsoft? So will they be completely independent or are they just no longer under Activision in the Microsoft hierarchy? Either way I hope a partnership with Microsoft means they might be able to make Spyro 4. Also, excited at the prospect of studios breaking away from Embracer. Obviously there is no guarantee that they'll be treated better, but at least they have a better chance of not being shut down by the end of the month.
Not sure which cynical take to go with here. Either they want to get people to quit without the bad press of laying people off or they know the industry is turbulent enough that no one would actually push back against going back into the office for work that could be done remotely.
I never played Galaxies, but I was always fascinated by the concept of it, especially before it was revamped. The idea of giving you the freedom to just exist in the world of Star Wars was always something I wished more games would do. I mean, I loved KOTOR for what it was, but you were still the main character of a story someone else had written. It's a shame nothing has really tried to emulate the style of Galaxies since then.
this could not be timed worse for Tumblr which is in huge hot water with its userbase already for its CEO breaking his sabbatical to ban a prominent trans user for allegedly threatening him (in a cartoonish manner), and then spending a week personally justifying it increasingly wildly across several platforms. the rumors had...
So after banning adult content a few years ago, Tumblr decided to shoot itself in the other foot? It feels like the people in charge are actively trying to drive off the site's users.
It's a nice thought, but it's hard to see how there won't be shortages and scalpers taking advantages of those shortages. Although hopefully those will just be "normal" shortages and not something on the scale of the PS5 and Series X launches where they were almost impossible to find.
It's a shame for everyone involved, but at the same time it doesn't feel that surprising. It doesn't feel like their games after Until Dawn reached the same level of success. I remember the Dark Pictures Anthology getting mixed reviews as it went on and I don't really remember much about the Quarry's reception except the hype around it being the next Until Dawn.
Have you been spending hours trying to pass a level? Or maybe you are completely addicted to a newly bought game. Do you have a question about a game or would like to share something else? In the Weekly Discussion Thread, you can do it all!...
Thirty hours into Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Main story has started to ramp up, but I keep getting distracted by the business management mini-game and the kart-racing minigame that I just discovered while wandering around the map. It never ceases to amaze me just how dense these games are and just how many side activities they managed to pack into one game.
This is what happens when you wish for the resurrection of a beloved IP. Another finger on the monkey's paw curls. The idea of a Crazy Taxi live service game is weird enough, but it's just bizarre that they are using Fortnight as a major inspiration for the Jet Set Radio reboot. I guess at the very least we are getting proper remakes of these games alongside the live service reboots. It will be interesting to see how the games do head to head, especially with the difficulties live service games have been having lately.
It's a shame that people are being laid off, especially when it seems like it's retaliation for complaining about working conditions. Still, I don't think I'd ever be able to buy anything from ZA/UM after they kicked most of the creators out of the company and took control of the IP.
You know if anyone needs to be let go maybe it's the management who were spending like there was no tomorrow and are now throwing everyone overboard to stop the ship from sinking. Or, you know, just keep cancelling games and shuttering studios. I'm sure that'll work out eventually.
It's crazy how far micro-transactions and monetizing games have come since Bethesda charged $2.50 for cosmetic armor to put on your horse. If you'd told someone back then that one day an in-game mount would cost more than the game itself they would have laughed you out of the room.
Always impressed by the lengths people will go to preserve game history and more than a little concerned about them getting cease-and-desisted by Nintendo. At least it looks like it's already on the Internet Archive, so that's good.
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Back to Yakuza: Like A Dragon after a week of playing steam demos from the Next Fest. I was surprised at just how many I ended up enjoying. Crypt Custodian is a neat little metroidvania about a cat sentenced to be the underworld's janitor. Nice art style, sense of humor, and good puzzles. Cryptmaster is a typing-based dungeon crawler where every enemy you defeat gives you letters that you use to spell out the names of the skills you use in combat. It's certainly an inventive take and I'm looking forward to the release. Surprisingly, my favorite demo ended up being for a platformer called Happy! the Hippo. It's based on janky PS2-era platformers like Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly. The game is purpose built for you to pull off those kind of tricks where you skip chunks of the level or even break outside the bounds of the game entirely. It's really fun to play, but what I'm really enjoying about the game is the weird, almost horror game stuff that shows up the longer you play. It feels like an ARG game in a way, like Crow 64 if anyone remembers that. Or something like Shipwreck 64, a game that is a platformer on the surface but is actually a horror game once you get in far enough. Except Happy! the Hippo never turns into a horror game. At least not in the demo. There's plenty of strange stuff the more you explore, but it never descends into an outright horror game. It feels like all the talk about how old 3D platformers could be unsettling and odd was a major inspiration for the game. Hoping the finished the game keeps that tone when it releases.
Hard to say if he's right given how much of this is behind-the-scenes business dealing. I honestly didn't think much about them ending support for the game, since it had been so long since it was released. Still, announcing they were going to support the game until 2025 and then ending updates the same year their sequel game is supposed to launch isn't a great look. Especially since Evil Empire was still talking about continuing updates last year. Makes it seem like a sudden decision on Motion Twin's end. It's impossible to say for sure, but it really feels like they didn't want their old game serving as competition. Hopefully Evil Empire is able to recover and start work on their own project.
The gaming industry is dying is an ice-cold take at this point, but I really don't see how it's sustainable in its current form with the way things are going right now. Sure, the analysts are saying things will course correct, but how is that supposed to happen if nothing in the industry changes? Games are just going to get more expensive to make and it feels like the cost-cutting is only going to get worse as more companies invest in AI tech.
Seven years feels about right for a length between consoles. I am curious to see what they do with it. It's hard to see Nintendo not sticking with the handheld console approach with the Switch 2, but just building a more powerful Switch doesn't feel very Nintendo, if that makes sense. Like there has to be some feature or gimmick to set it apart from the Switch.
It's really been whiplash inducing to go from reading about how Microsoft was going to dominate gaming because of the Activision buyout to reading about how Microsoft is going to be the next Sega and are possibly exiting the console market. And it all happened in the span of a few months.
Sure it is, Yves. If any game would qualify as quadruple A it's the Black Flag spinoff that's been in development hell for years. Genuinely curious how long this game lasts, even if it does get good reviews and finds an audience. Feels like Ubisoft would have cancelled this ages ago if the government of Singapore hadn't been providing subsidies to help fund the project.
Well, that's certainly not going to reassure Xbox fans. Just seems like they're waiting for things to die down before confirming the rumors. It will be interesting to see how that goes. If they start treating PlayStation the way Sony treats PC in terms of releases then I could maybe see the Xbox consoles staying afloat as a Gamepass box. I've seen speculation that they'll pull out of the console market entirely, but I just can't see Gamepass coming to the PS5 or Switch especially since Sony has been trying to build up their own answer to Gamepass with their PS plus tiers. Then again stranger things have happened. If they do decide to become the next Sega it's going to be surreal watching Halo and Gears of War show up on PlayStation.
Basically. The main rumor is that Starfield, the new Indiana Jones game, and all of their other first-party exclusives are going to be coming to PS5 and Microsoft is giving up on the idea of console exclusivity. Not sure what that means for Xbox in the long-term, but it is going to be an interesting week.
Yes, because console wars. A lot of people that bought into the Xbox brand are angry Microsoft is "giving up" and "disgracing" developers by putting their games on PlayStation. It doesn't help that without a clear statement from Microsoft people are free to speculate that Microsoft is going to be the next Sega and Phil Spencer is going to personally come to their house and destroy their Xbox.
More seriously, there is some genuine concern about what will happen to the digital libraries of people who bought into the Xbox eco-system if Xbox stops being a thing. Or what will happen if the AAA game market comes down to Sony and Nintendo. But there are a lot of people angry their favorite mega-corporation "lost" even though we have no idea what Microsoft's actual plans are.
Honestly, I'm curious to see if this rumor turns out to be true. If it does then I'm not really sure what that means for Xbox in the long-term. Putting just Starfield out on PS5 is one thing, but it sounds like they are thinking of putting most if not all of their first-party games on other platforms. If you're releasing your first-party games on other consoles then what exactly is the point of the Xbox? Is it just going to become a Game Pass box or are they planning on pulling out of the hardware business entirely like Sega?
Finally got around to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, so I've been making my way through that. Enjoying the turn-based RPG game-play a lot more than I was expecting. Focused on the main story right now, but the side-content I've dabbled in has been pretty fun. Feels like one of those games I'm going to be chipping away at for a while.
I've also been playing Dread Delusion and absolutely loving it. I don't tend to pick up Early Access games, but hearing it described as a "Morrowind-like" RPG caught my interest and it is the perfect way to describe the game. It really captures that feeling of playing Morrowind for the first time, of being a nobody in a strange land. The game doesn't even give you a map when you start out. You have to get by on directions and landmarks until you complete the side quest that gives you a map. And even then you have to fill it out as you explore the world. More than that, it's that sense that you never really know what you're going to encounter around the next corner. You can wander into a town looking for your contact to continue the main quest only to end up accepting a quest from the atheistic Inquisition to help them hunt down a rogue god and their followers.
Like I said it's still Early Access so it is a little rough around the edges. There's more than a handful of bugs and the combat is...fine, but not much else. Then again there's such a focus on sneaking, talking, and magicing your way around problems that that might be intentional. Still, what I've played so far has got me excited for when the finished product releases.
Granted, it is from GamesIndustry.biz, but this really seems aimed more at investors and shareholders who are going to have a very skewed sense of what hopeful means. Personally I'd say all of the indie hits we saw in 2023, and continue to see in 2024, are a good reason to be hopeful about the future of the industry. I'd also throw in the success of Baldur's Gate 3, which brought CRPGs back into mainstream prominence after years of being a niche genre for hardcore fans.
An issue with the soundtrack is the only thing that makes sense, but unfortunately I don't know if 2K would be willing to spend the money to renew the license and keep the game on Steam. At least it's still for sale on GOG, like the article mentions, and it's eighty percent off.
No problem. Unfortunately, looks like GOG had to delist it as well. Seems the only way to play it now is through a physical copy and Xbox backwards compatibility.
Palworld has brought back a Pandora’s Box that Pokemon let open in Black/White: Does Team Plasma have a point? Is the player in Pokemon/Palworld an evil entity just for playing?...
I mean, every "Mon" series has to deal with the fact that your basically making animals fight for your amusement, but that this is somehow a good and normal part of the world that the player shouldn't think too much about. But yeah, unless the game is trying to actually comment on that aspect of the genre then it's probably best not to even bring it up. Palworld is an interesting case. What with the guns, putting pals to work, and butchering them for resources. Admittedly, I haven't played the game, but it really doesn't paint the player in the best light. You're certainly not an innocent ten-year old off an adventure. If anything you'd be a villain in a Pokemon game. But it's difficult to say how hard the game wants you to think about that. Like, is the fact that the game lets you do all these things the developers way of saying "Being a Mon trainer would be really messed up if these games were realistic" or is it part of the "Pokemon with Guns!" attitude that has been a big part of the marketing?
Either way, I think that a game that focused on building a cooperative relationship between a "trainer" and their Mons would be interesting. Like instead of just capturing them and sticking them in a PC you would need to actually work to keep them satisfied and willing to follow you. Kind of like SMT mechanics, but more of a constant relationship you have to manage. Could get tedious, but it's an interesting idea.
That's strange. Especially since it's still for sale on places like GOG and on sale at that. Hopefully this is just an error on 2K or Valve's end and it will be back up. If not then I don't really know why. I mean it's an anti-war third person shooter from 2012. Its not exactly the most controversial game anymore. Unless there's some license that expired that 2K doesn't want to pay to extend.
Being owned my Embracer must feel like a death sentence at this point. I mean even if your studio has been spared cuts or closures so far how safe can you really feel with the higher-ups desperately throwing everyone overboard to stop the ship from going under.
Sony finally remembered that Bloodborne existed at the worst possible time. Still, at least the game isn't being outright canceled and judging from the Micolash redesign, it looks like the creator is making the best of it. I do wonder if there's a possibility the creator could sell the game now, since it's now a legally distinct gothic kart racing game and not a Bloodborne fan game.
Glad to see their focused on making the combat feel good. IIRC one of the big complaints about the Outer Worlds was the combat, so it's nice to see them dealing with those criticisms.
Hopefully this means more Playstation exclusives on PC in the near future. Maybe even less time between the PS release and the PC one, although I'm not too hopeful on that. Also glad to see some hesitance about embracing the subscription model.
Have you been spending hours trying to pass a level? Or maybe you are completely addicted to a newly bought game. Do you have a question about a game or would like to share something else? In the Weekly Discussion Thread, you can do it all!...
Yakuza: Like a Dragon. I've been meaning to get to it for a while. Still early on in the game when it's still introducing new mechanics, but I'm enjoying it so far. I was kind of skeptical if I'd enjoy a turn-based RPG Yakuza game as much as I'd enjoyed the previous ones, but the combat is winning me over. Being able to summon a flock of pigeons to peck enemies unconsciously certainly helped.
Painful for who? I highly doubt any of the CEOs and investors interviewed are going to suffer all that much compared to the artists, programmers, and other employees that are going to be laid off because their company wants to be leaner, more dynamic, or whatever the latest buzzword is.
I miss gaming manuals. Yeah a lot of them were just sets of instructions and pretty forgettable, but every so often there was one that stuck out because someone had put the extra effort into it. Like the original Jak and Daxter game manual that had a map that detailed the entire route you took through the game. Or the Zelda Gameboy manuals that had these great illustrations every other page. Now the only reading materials games come with is the TOS and the Privacy Policy. Still, it's nice to see some games using them again, even if they are very niche. I really like the idea of a game that requires a physical manual in order to play it, almost as part of the gameplay. Like the article says it would be a very niche thing, but it would be a great experience.
Cautiously optimistic that this will be good. I appreciate they are at least trying to make combat seem more in-depth than just hacking away at enemy's with a sword. Hopefully the game lives up to that promise. It's a shame we're not getting a proper third Pillars game, but at least we're getting something else set in the that world.
Honestly, it's refreshing to see someone actually brainstorm solutions to these problems rather than just telling people to get mad. It's a long shot but a legal win in any major market could see business practices start to change. Like when the EU revamped its privacy laws and suddenly every website gives you the option to reject some of their tracking cookies. Or whatever the impact of China's new regulations on spending in games actually ends up being. It's worth the effort at the very least.
Saw the headline, wondered what had happened, and then saw that they were owned by Embracer. It's a shame to see them go. Gothic has been on my list of series to try for a while now and the Elex games looked interesting.
Billy Mitchell didn’t win his defamation lawsuit against Twin Galaxies. Not only was Billy not in a position to get a financial settlement, Billy’s cheated Donkey Kong scores were not reinstated(as he’s claiming), and his claimed Pac-Man score from 1999 is also not on the main scoreboards. What had happened is that the...
While it's better than nothing, and I understand why they made the choice, it's still disappointing it's a settlement and not going to trial. Oh well. Just have to wait and see what happens with the other lawsuits he's tangled up in.
Switch emulator creator settles Nintendo lawsuit for $2.4m | VGC (www.videogameschronicle.com)
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of March 3rd
What have you all been playing! Still on my helldivers and binding of Isaac grinds. Spreading managed democracy through the galaxy 💪
A Year Since Its Release, Sony Seems to Have Abandoned PlayStation VR2 (www.ign.com)
Report: Saber Interactive buys itself back from Embracer in $500m deal (www.gamesindustry.biz)
From Bloomberg (via archive.ph): archive.ph/63F4L
Crash Bandicoot 4, Spyro Reignited Trilogy Dev Toys For Bob Is Splitting From Activision (www.gameinformer.com)
This is GREAT news. This means they can focus on making great original games and not be dragged into working on call of duty. Please just give me a new Spyro.
EA shuts down Ridgeline Games (www.gamesindustry.biz)
‘Grand Theft Auto’ Maker Rockstar Games Asks Workers to Return to Office Five Days a Week (www.bloomberg.com)
The game magazine that spent two years taunting a Final Fantasy VIII hater (ff8isthe.best)
I really like this new blog. Reminds me of ukresistance.
Two Roads to Jedi-hood. Great article about what a roleplaying game is from 2004. (media.kbin.social)
Tumblr and Wordpress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools (www.404media.co)
this could not be timed worse for Tumblr which is in huge hot water with its userbase already for its CEO breaking his sabbatical to ban a prominent trans user for allegedly threatening him (in a cartoonish manner), and then spending a week personally justifying it increasingly wildly across several platforms. the rumors had...
‘Switch 2’ is targeting March 2025 and was delayed to avoid shortages, new report claims (www.videogameschronicle.com)
Until Dawn devs Supermassive announce layoffs, with 150 jobs reportedly at risk (www.rockpapershotgun.com)
The Weekly 'What are you playing?' Discussion (lemmy.world)
Have you been spending hours trying to pass a level? Or maybe you are completely addicted to a newly bought game. Do you have a question about a game or would like to share something else? In the Weekly Discussion Thread, you can do it all!...
New Crazy Taxi Game Will Be Live Service with a '100-Person Survival Mode' (insider-gaming.com)
To nobody’s surprise, Sega has enshittified its beloved Crazy Taxi IP.
Disco Elysium standalone expansion reportedly cancelled and quarter of staff facing redundancy at ZA/UM (www.eurogamer.net)
Embracer CEO says layoffs are "something that everyone needs to get through" (www.gamesindustry.biz)
lol....
Diablo 4's new mount costs more than the actual game (www.pcgamesn.com)
And have we come full circle to god damn horse armor.
F-Zero courses from a dead Nintendo satellite service restored using VHS and AI (arstechnica.com)
The Weekly 'What are you playing?' Discussion (lemmy.world)
Have you been spending hours trying to pass a level? Or maybe you are completely addicted to a newly bought game. Do you have a question about a game or would like to share something else? In the Weekly Discussion Thread, you can do it all!...
Dead Cells designer says decision to stop updates is ‘asshole move’ by former studio (www.videogameschronicle.com)
'I've Never Seen It This Bad:' Game Developers Explain the Huge Layoffs Hitting Riot, Epic, and More (www.ign.com)
From Software is "working hard on Elden Ring DLC" but still doesn't have a release date "at this time" (www.eurogamer.net)
Reuters claims Nintendo Switch 2 is expected later this year (www.eurogamer.net)
Phil Spencer has reportedly reassured employees Microsoft ‘won’t stop making Xbox consoles’ (www.videogameschronicle.com)
Ubisoft CEO defends Skull and Bones’ $70 price despite its live service leanings, calls it ‘quadruple-A’ (www.videogameschronicle.com)
Deus Ex Adam Jensen actor says goodbye to character, as he laments state of the industry (www.eurogamer.net)
We're listening and we hear you. We've been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox. Stay tuned. (twitter.com)
EXCLUSIVE | Microsoft plans Starfield launch for PlayStation 5 - XboxEra (xboxera.com)
It seems that Microsoft may be becoming more open to releasing their games on other platforms
Weekly “What are you playing” Thread || Week of February 4th
Hey y’all, what have you been playing!...
Seven reasons to be hopeful about the future of the video games industry | Opinion (www.gamesindustry.biz)
-1. The next Nintendo console...
Spec Ops: The Line's sudden removal from Steam baffles its director: 'Why has this happened?' (www.pcgamer.com)
Yager's controversial military shooter was pulled from Steam and other storefronts last night.
The problem with liberation groups in monster-taming games (Pokemon, Palworld)
Palworld has brought back a Pandora’s Box that Pokemon let open in Black/White: Does Team Plasma have a point? Is the player in Pokemon/Palworld an evil entity just for playing?...
Spec Ops The Line delisted from steam (store.steampowered.com)
Embracer lays off 97 Eidos employees and cancels new Deus Ex game (www.theverge.com)
Bloodborne Kart isn't allowed to be called Bloodborne Kart anymore, but it is still coming (www.eurogamer.net)
Unfortunate. The game will be removing anything bloodborne-licensed but will probably still look similar.
The Day Before developer resurfaces to blame failure on "hate campaign" (www.eurogamer.net)
Obsidian's next big RPG Avowed is looking to Vermintide's 'masterclass in having a sense of hitting and impact' to make its first-person sword-swinging feel weighty (www.pcgamer.com)
Sony CEO Says PlayStation's Gaming Future Will Be On PC, Mobile, And Cloud (insider-gaming.com)
The Weekly 'What are you playing?' Discussion (lemmy.world)
Have you been spending hours trying to pass a level? Or maybe you are completely addicted to a newly bought game. Do you have a question about a game or would like to share something else? In the Weekly Discussion Thread, you can do it all!...
Games industry leaders braced 'for up to two years of pain' (www.gamesindustry.biz)
The revenge of the video game manual (www.theguardian.com)
Instruction manuals died out as video games introduced tutorials instead. But now games such as Tunic and The Banished Vault are bringing them back
Obsidian's Avowed releases this autumn | Eurogamer (www.eurogamer.net)
Obsidian Entertainment has revealed its first-person RPG Avowed is set to release this autumn....
Dead Game News: The Crew is being shut down permanently in April. (www.youtube.com)
Elex 3 May Have Been Canceled, Developer Piranha Bytes Possibly Closed Down (twistedvoxel.com)
cross-posted from: lemmy.world/post/10831301...
Billy Mitchell has surrendered (perfectpacman.com)
Billy Mitchell didn’t win his defamation lawsuit against Twin Galaxies. Not only was Billy not in a position to get a financial settlement, Billy’s cheated Donkey Kong scores were not reinstated(as he’s claiming), and his claimed Pac-Man score from 1999 is also not on the main scoreboards. What had happened is that the...