With game size becoming very huge, I sometimes hope that digital storefronts or devs would give us an option to download the game / assets depending on the configuration that we want to play under.
I still don’t own a 4K monitor and have a relatively slow download speed, it’d be great if customers could choose a 1080p option to save time and space.
I remember vaguely about smart download system, announced during Xbox’s stage show, a couple of years ago, but I can’t remember whether it’s for deciding between Xbox Series S and X, or it’s for something else.
Yeah, I could see that for kids or just like in that screenshot, as macro pad.
Even the SN30 Pro was bit too small and uncomfortable for me, and I don’t even have big hands. The 8BitDo Pro 2 on the other hand, is a solid and affordable controller.
I like what 8BitDo has been doing over the years, good quality products under affordable price range, and sometimes quirky / out of the box designs. I do wish they’d make more PS5 compatible controllers, because PS5 is definitely lacking affordable 3rd party controllers.
Wait, there’s a split screen on Baldur’s Gate III? Normally I’d expect split screen games are for games with shorter gameplay loop, e.g. FPS, racing.
It’s kinda interesting that there’s a split screen couch co-op for a long sprawling RPG. Also doesn’t that make all the UIs and texts even more busy / cramped?
I just read that some people are trying out split screen. on steam deck, that’s wild.
it’s a complex issue, and it will probably end up dirty, since it’s business in the end.
I could understand why people would avoid buying Hogwarts Legacy, because how much the IP is tied to transphobic JK Rowling. But the devs on the other hand, they mostly don’t get the say on which IP to work on. I personally avoid games like that, because the same person has enough followers to keep spouting hate which could and have translated to real world bigotry and violence. And the game serves as marketing for people to follow JK Rowling.
Then there are companies with sexual harassments incidents. In that case, spreading the words and making enough noise so that some legal investigations or actions are taken, should be the way. Then there’s crunch and overwork issues, helping them to spread the word about union, not to cross the picket lines, etc.
There are many of those issues, because we didn’t address them earlier in the past few decades. But shedding the light on them and you feeling frustrated are good things, it means that we’re progressing, we’re identifying, feeling guilty, and trying to address them.
I’d say, be more conscious when purchasing games, maybe if you really really want to play Baldur’s Gate 3, then only buy it when there’s a steep discount? Nowadays I play a lot more indies and retro games, and probably would only buy a full price games once or twice a year. There’s large number of other good games out there, don’t be pressured to be FOMO, wait until there’s steep discount. And after waiting for awhile, sometimes you realize that you could just ignore the problematic game altogether.
I’m finally at Disc 4 of Final Fantasy 8 Remastered. Tried playing this game several times, but never finished it. I decided to use all the QoL options (combat boost, 3x speed, no-encounter) to avoid being frustrated by the gameplay (junctioning, drawing, etc), and I’ve been enjoying the story, even post Disc 3 twist.
There was a strong dislike of JRPGs and Japanese games in the 2000s.
Development struggles
From what I heard is, during the shift to HD development in early PS3 360 era, many western devs switched to use Unreal engine, while Japanese devs were sticking to their in house engines. But, in house engines were not cheap nor easy to build / maintain, so they struggled to recoup their expenses.
One of their strategies is to make their games more appealing to the west, but they were kinda doing it from the lens of what they think American games are appealing, so we get games that weren’t universally loved, like
It didn’t help when we got bangers like Mass Effect trilogy, Skyrim, Fallout 3. So Square definitely disliked the JRPG term. However if you were to ask smaller Japanese devs at the time, e.g. ATLUS or Nihon Falcom, they’d probably prefer the term, because their ‘niche’ games (at the time), sold quite well while Square struggled.
Not a really descriptive term anymore
But you’re right, JRPG is non-descriptive when it comes to reviews. I’d prefer that reviewers have a small box that lists out the mechanics of the game, e.g. turn-based, random loot drops, predesignated character, linear dungeons, etc. But even nowadays reviewers are recommending games like Jedi Survivor, while the game is still a broken mess, which made me wonder what’s the point of reviews anymore?
It’s great when the devs like the term, but it barely helps anyone when reviewers use it. Not to mention the political tension when they use the term JRPG for games developed by Chinese or Korean devs.
Of course I haven’t mentioned that some reviewers were just racists fucks. Also it’s the period when Famitsu will just give any games 40/40 if the publishers bought enough advertisements from them, FF13 got 39/40, and Square was probably wondering why the games were not well received outside Japan
That’s bit harsh to say that all his great works are not his.
I do share the sentiment that Kojima’s writing has been in downhill for quite sometime and he really in need of a good editor. I actually think that his stories are more coherent or at least entertaining in his earlier works, e.g.
Snatcher
Policenauts
MGS 1
Some like MGS 2, but I think the boring oil rig setting broke me, and the constant chatter with ‘Colonel’ didn’t help
MGS 3
Peacewalker
MGS Rising
What I actually like is his obsessive attention to details that barely matters when it comes to gameplay, e.g. melting ice cubes, aiming at enemy’s crotch to get dog tags, etc.
Kojima games started clicking for me when he introduced the ‘R&D system’ in Peacewalker, where it’s actually a RPG progression system but the rewards are absurd equipments. As the matter of fact, I like the ‘walking and R&D’ parts of Death Stranding a lot, but really dislike the enemy encounters and the story in that game.
And it’s okay, not every games are for everyone, I’m glad that someone is giving him blank cheques for his absurd ideas that are not the norms.
They should pause when showing item description and after the end credits, they should link to youtubers explaining what happened actually in the anime.
Nic also has a movie coming out digitally this week, titled Sympathy for the Devil, no idea whether it’d be an okay movie or just another direct to DVD garbo, but still gonna watch it since I’m on the quest of watching every Nic Cage movies.
Also since he was sighted with Kojima recently, and Kojima has been wearing Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’s t-shirt, I do hope that Nic would star in his next game. (He’s probably already scanned for Death Stranding 2 cameo)