General Gaming News.

[hanselthecaretaker]

This was inevitable

Dark Souls completed using nothing but poop

Fresh from setting an initially impressive speedrun time for Elden Ring (that's since been broken), streamer LilAggy ha…

www.eurogamer.net

Where there’s a will I guess…

At least it’s not what I initially thought, where someone used real poop as a controller.

 

[Dalisclock]

I'm done....

You were too busy thinking about if you could and not about if you should

 

[Chimpzy]

Welp, guess the Perfect Dark reboot is in rough waters too

Around Half of Perfect Dark Reboot Team The Initiative Quit in Last Year

Perfect Dark reboot developer The Initiative, a first-party Xbox studio, reportedly saw half its core development team quit since 2021.

www.escapistmagazine.com

 

[BrawlMan]

Welp, guess the Perfect Dark reboot is in rough waters too

Around Half of Perfect Dark Reboot Team The Initiative Quit in Last Year

Perfect Dark reboot developer The Initiative, a first-party Xbox studio, reportedly saw half its core development team quit since 2021.

www.escapistmagazine.com

I posted a different link, earlier last week. This just seems to keep getting worse and worse. I'll say what I said back then and partially quote Dunkey, "You you can buy up all the properties and IPs you want, but if you're not going to do anything with them or have production trouble, you might as well have not even bothered". Microsoft is in a hot mess right now.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

I posted a different link, earlier last week. This just seems to keep getting worse and worse. I'll say what I said back then and partially quote Dunkey, "You you can buy up all the properties and IPs you want, but if you're not going to do anything with them or have production trouble, you might as well have not even bothered". Microsoft is in a hot mess right now.

An easy prediction would be they increase Game Pass fees once that user base hits critical mass to help make up for the wasted $$ on Activision or nearly anything else they’ve “invested” in. Unless Sony’s upcoming rival service can stare it down, which is kinda 50:50 given the flop that is Now.

 

[BrawlMan]

Unless Sony’s upcoming rival service can stare it down, which is kinda 50:50 given the flop that is Now.

I am so glad I never wasted money on PS Now. No Sony, I don't want your bad rental service app. Quit trying to put it on my hard drive!

 

[Dalisclock]

I am so glad I never wasted money on PS Now. No Sony, I don't want your bad rental service app. Quit trying to put it on my hard drive!

Is PSNow the service that's basically Gamepass or is that PS+? I know ones the is the "Netflix" and the other is basically for you to play Muti-player on PS games.

 

[BrawlMan]

Is PSNow the service that's basically Gamepass

Gamepass, but worse. You can only rent games by streaming. This is the only way you can play PS3 and certain PS2 games, unless they're already on PSN or a re-release. Though majority of these PS3 & PS2 games you have to play through PS Now to play them on PS4 or PS5. Not worth the effort.

 

[BrawlMan]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection

www.konami.com

 

[BrawlMan]

Insiders describe ‘fast and furious’ exits from Xbox’s Perfect Dark studio | VGC

As much as half of the core development team have quit in the past year; Initiative management says it’s “confident” in its team…

www.videogameschronicle.com

New video game company aims to develop therapeutic games

DeepWell Digital Therapeutics wants FDA-cleared games.

www.theverge.com

How Video Game Footage Is Being Used in the Propaganda Wars

In a video circulated on social media, a Ukrainian fighter jet displays unmatched aerial skill as it weaves around unending salvos of bullets and anti-aircraft fire. The pilot banks against the wind as tracer rounds narrowly miss.

coffeeordie.com

How to make Roblox and Minecraft safe for kids

There are some great benefits to video games for kids, but dangers also lurk. Parents should learn about filters that can help make their kids experience safer, while just as fun

www.deseret.com

Upcoming Video Game Movies in 2022

No doubt, Netflix is not a great platform for the best movies ever but also preferred for video game movies. Movie fans have found themselves gravitating towards getting more genres. With that in mind, there

www.gamespace.com

Racing game fundraiser collects US$43,000 for LGBTQ families

Victoria Scott logged almost 15 straight hours playing "Need for Speed: Underground" to support trans kids in the southern U.S.

driving.ca

 

[CriticalGaming]

Insiders describe ‘fast and furious’ exits from Xbox’s Perfect Dark studio | VGC

As much as half of the core development team have quit in the past year; Initiative management says it’s “confident” in its team…

www.videogameschronicle.com

Xbox seems to be a vacuum of fucking nothing when it comes to gaming. They buy up all these names, and produce nothing because nobody sticks around. Wha the fuck is even happening at Microsoft Studios? How has the company overheads not looked at the gaming division and asked "what the fuck?"

 

[BrawlMan]

Xbox seems to be a vacuum of fucking nothing when it comes to gaming. They buy up all these names, and produce nothing because nobody sticks around. Wha the fuck is even happening at Microsoft Studios? How has the company overheads not looked at the gaming division and asked "what the fuck?"

This why I refused to buy an XONE. Them fucking over Scalebound was the final straw for me. Platinum made mistakes too, but Microsoft still shares the majority of the blame. If I do get an XONE, I'll just buy the ONE X from my brother. Backwards compatibility on the XBOX ONE and SERIES is all they are good for. They've been making the same mistake ever since they bought Rare and the release of Conker: Live and Reloaded. The same mistake for over 20 years!

 

[CriticalGaming]

This why I refused to buy an XONE. Them fucking over Scalebound was the final straw for me. Platinum made mistakes too, but Microsoft still shares the majority of the blame. If I do get an XONE, I'll just buy the ONE S from my brother. Backwards compatibility on the XBOX ONE and SERIES is all they are good for. They've been making the same mistake ever since they bought Rare and the release of Conker: Live and Reloaded. The same mistake for over 20 years!

It's just frustrating to me because I need Microsoft to pump out something decent, or better yet MULTIPLE somethings. You complain about Sony and the big head that they have....well part of that is because Microsoft is offering no competition. And if the rumors about a Sony gamepass are true and it has ps1 through ps5 offerings in it....then Microsoft is fucked.

Business competition is what keeps these companies on track, by needing to compete with others in the same business market they continuously battle for the best consumer offerings which is better for us. Someone I made this argument to asked me about Nintendo and why they don't seem to count. And my counter to that was that Nintendo didn't want to compete in the console space and push for the computing power that Microsoft and Sony were already better at. So instead they looked at the psp and the Vita and decided that they'll conquer the mobile market (which is better for them because Japan's userbase is a highly mobile usage userbase anyway) and by dominating that market they effectively lock Sony out of it. Microsoft didn't even try. Nintendo isn't without competition either as mobile phones do eat into the potential Switch user base. Additionally Nintendo has focused on a more kid friendly approach as the vast majority of their IP's are family friendly games which is not something we see from the other console companies.

Effectively Nintendo competes by dominating a smaller portion of the market and keeping the others away from it.

Sony and Microsoft have elected to battle each other, however it's gotten to the point in which Microsoft has fucked themselves and all Sony needs to do is stand back and let them burn themselves, while at the same time not doing anything too stupid themselves. So long as Microsoft makes nothing, and Sony continues to release exclusives, I don't see how Microsoft will be able to justify making another console after this one. MS needs a drastic shift somewhere along their production chain in order to get studios in working order, where employees don't flee like mice off a sinking ship, and actually release games.

Halo might be decent now, but remember they thought it would be fine to showcase the game while it looked like dogshit and melted wax. They can never repeat a showing like that. I think Microsoft desperately needs to get enough projects together that they can start having their own showcase like Sony's State of Play. The fact that Sony pumps out Showcases every couple of months while Microsoft shows off jack shit is a very bad thing for Microsoft, and the games industry as a whole.

 

[BrawlMan]

Nintendo isn't without competition either as mobile phones do eat into the potential Switch user base.

Their Switch user base in Japan is 99%, they will live.

You complain about Sony and the big head that they have....well part of that is because Microsoft is offering no competition. And if the rumors about a Sony gamepass are true and it has ps1 through ps5 offerings in it....then Microsoft is fucked.

I'm assuming the "you" is referring is the gaming public in general. I don't have a have problem with Sony releasing games, but they need to up their variety on some level. If the Sony Gamepass does have all the PS titles from all generations, yeah...MS is fucked!

Sony and Microsoft have elected to battle each other, however it's gotten to the point in which Microsoft has fucked themselves and all Sony needs to do is stand back and let them burn themselves, while at the same time not doing anything too stupid themselves.

All three need to keep themselves in check as far as I am concerned.

So long as Microsoft makes nothing, and Sony continues to release exclusives, I don't see how Microsoft will be able to justify making another console after this one. MS needs a drastic shift somewhere along their production chain in order to get studios in working order, where employees don't flee like mice off a sinking ship, and actually release games.

Agreed.

Halo might be decent now, but remember they thought it would be fine to showcase the game while it looked like dogshit and melted wax. They can never repeat a showing like that. I think Microsoft desperately needs to get enough projects together that they can start having their own showcase like Sony's State of Play. The fact that Sony pumps out Showcases every couple of months while Microsoft shows off jack shit is a very bad thing for Microsoft, and the games industry as a whole.

The problem with Microsoft, even with Phil trying is damnedest to improve everything he can, are still stuck in the late XBOX era and 360 era. They can't let it go. I never cared much for Halo to begin with, but I respected the older titles for what they did. Despite a bunch of know-nothing nay sayers claiming Halo and FPS game would "kill gaming" or "kill the industry". Imbeciles. Microsoft can't rely on Halo forever. Infinite has many players that dropped off so early, and 343 has little content to show. Gears 5 while doing great, is more or less another 360 style game with some unique improvements for a Gears of War game, but nothing new, if you've been gaming a long time. Other than 7th generation (financially I had no choice, but to get a 360), I've been sticking with Nintendo and Sony for a reason. Plus, nothing will kill my love of Japanese gaming.

 

[Specter Von Baren]

It's just frustrating to me because I need Microsoft to pump out something decent, or better yet MULTIPLE somethings. You complain about Sony and the big head that they have....well part of that is because Microsoft is offering no competition. And if the rumors about a Sony gamepass are true and it has ps1 through ps5 offerings in it....then Microsoft is fucked.

Business competition is what keeps these companies on track, by needing to compete with others in the same business market they continuously battle for the best consumer offerings which is better for us. Someone I made this argument to asked me about Nintendo and why they don't seem to count. And my counter to that was that Nintendo didn't want to compete in the console space and push for the computing power that Microsoft and Sony were already better at. So instead they looked at the psp and the Vita and decided that they'll conquer the mobile market (which is better for them because Japan's userbase is a highly mobile usage userbase anyway) and by dominating that market they effectively lock Sony out of it. Microsoft didn't even try. Nintendo isn't without competition either as mobile phones do eat into the potential Switch user base. Additionally Nintendo has focused on a more kid friendly approach as the vast majority of their IP's are family friendly games which is not something we see from the other console companies.

Effectively Nintendo competes by dominating a smaller portion of the market and keeping the others away from it.

Sony and Microsoft have elected to battle each other, however it's gotten to the point in which Microsoft has fucked themselves and all Sony needs to do is stand back and let them burn themselves, while at the same time not doing anything too stupid themselves. So long as Microsoft makes nothing, and Sony continues to release exclusives, I don't see how Microsoft will be able to justify making another console after this one. MS needs a drastic shift somewhere along their production chain in order to get studios in working order, where employees don't flee like mice off a sinking ship, and actually release games.

Halo might be decent now, but remember they thought it would be fine to showcase the game while it looked like dogshit and melted wax. They can never repeat a showing like that. I think Microsoft desperately needs to get enough projects together that they can start having their own showcase like Sony's State of Play. The fact that Sony pumps out Showcases every couple of months while Microsoft shows off jack shit is a very bad thing for Microsoft, and the games industry as a whole.

Working with developers has always seemed to be a glaring weakness for Microsoft. As controlling as Nintendo can be at times, it's hard to deny that they seem to be good at something with the process of encouraging a secondary developer to put out good work with their IPs. Microsoft never seems to have a tight grip on studios working for it but they also seem way too loose and not give real direction for what they want from a developer.

 

[CriticalGaming]

The problem with Microsoft, even with Phil trying is damnedest to improve everything he can, are still stuck in the late XBOX era and 360 era. They can't let it go. I never cared much for Halo to begin with, but I respected the older titles for what they did. Despite a bunch of know-nothing nay sayers claiming Halo and FPS game would "kill gaming" or "kill the industry". Imbeciles. All of out that out the way, Microsoft can't rely on Halo forever. Infinite has many players that dropped off so early, and 343 has little content to show. Gears 5 while doing great, is more or less another 360 style game with some unique improvements for a Gears of War game, but nothing new, if you've been gaming a long time. Other than 7th generation (financially I had no choice, but to get a 360), I've been sticking with Nintendo and Sony for a reason. Plus, nothing will kill my love of Japanese gaming.

Ironically I think this is why Sony titles have the illusion of the same sort of feel. Semi-open Adventure games like Uncharted, last of us, god of war, horizon, etc etc etc. Because if people want FPS games there are plenty of options for that. One of the things that i think makes those "sony" games so great is that they are basically the only ones making them. What other company is making Uncharted style games? Arguably maybe Square once in a while with Guardians and Tomb Raider reboots. But the Sony-game is not something that the rest of the industry is pumping out which is why I think it works so well for Sony. They've become the almost exclusive source for that type of game and they always hold up to a pretty damn good level of quality on top of that.

The Xbox 360 got a reputation for being the "bro-gamer" console because the vast majority of Xbox games where FPS games, or third person shooters like Gears. They offered very little variety tbh and never published much in the way of what we would call "cult hits" right? Like how many Jrpg's did Xbox get? Tactics games? Brawlers? The 360 was known for Sports and FPS games. Meanwhile sony was doing much of what it does today, odd Jrpg's, Soulsborne games (demon's souls was ps3 and bloodborne ps4), as well as many oddball titles from publishers like Atlus, and NiS.

As you said, that 360 attitude is still what drives MS to this day, and if you remember I pointed this out in regards to Gamepass. When everyone was praising Gamepass I was telling people that it is the only way there is anything to play on Xbox. With no new games, MS is forced to live in the past and offer old games to make it look like their console is worth having. I mentioned a few months ago that i got a Series S in the store and after about a week I have never touched the system again. I have no reason too.

And i'll point out that you can walk into any Best Buy or Gamestop in the country and find Series S consoles without any issue. You can't say the same thing about PS5. And yes restocking and supply are partly to blame.....there is also the possibility that people just don't want Xbox's, because even when they're available readily they aren't selling.

 

[BrawlMan]

Brawlers? The 360 was known for Sports and FPS games. Meanwhile sony was doing much of what it does today, odd Jrpg's, Soulsborne games (demon's souls was ps3 and bloodborne ps4), as well as many oddball titles from publishers like Atlus, and NiS.

Other the than quite a few XBLA and indie titles published by different studios or independents, not really. DMC4 sold the most on 360, but that was because PS3 was still $600 at the time.

One of the things that i think makes those "sony" games so great is that they are basically the only ones making them. What other company is making Uncharted style games? Arguably maybe Square once in a while with Guardians and Tomb Raider reboots. But the Sony-game is not something that the rest of the industry is pumping out which is why I think it works so well for Sony. They've become the almost exclusive source for that type of game and they always hold up to a pretty damn good level of quality on top of that.

The funny thing is, during the 2010s, nearly every 3rd person type of action game was taking elements from Uncharted. Mainly in the platforming and on rails chase sequence/everything falling apart sequences. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, DmC (2013), Tomb Raider Reboot (to the point that a lot of old school fans called heresy and blasphemy). A new wave of "cinematic" platformers. All the more ironic, because even the Prince of Persia games in the HD era started taking some cues from Uncharted. Uncharted got its platforming elements from Prince of Persia and old school Tomb Raider. Everything is relative.

 

[CriticalGaming]

The funny thing is, during the 2010s, nearly every 3rd person type of action game was taking elements from Uncharted. Mainly in the platforming and on rails chase sequence/everything falling apart sequences. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, DmC (2013), Tomb Raider Reboot (to the point that a lot of old school fans called heresy and blasphemy). A new wave of "cinematic" platformers. All the more ironic, because even the Prince of Persia games in the HD era started taking some cues from Uncharted. Uncharted got its platforming elements from Prince of Persia and old school Tomb Raider. Everything is relative.

I think a lot of this is just evolution in game design. Things evolve but in gaming it evolves in these weird jumps, when one developer comes out with an idea that really works, a ton of other developers take that concept and run with it. This goes on until something game design innovation is made and the cycle continuous. We've seen with the Battle Royal's, Souls-likes, I mean hell the very concept of a Rogue-lite or Metroidvania game are the very genres that get created when this happens. FPs used to be Doom-clone which is the OG design innovation.

I think people call these games copies or irrative too liberally for the most part. A good game is a good game it doesn't matter if God of War did it first (looking at you quick time events) all that matters is if the latest game is good or not. There is nothing wrong when Focus Entertainment makes Lords of the Fallen as a Souls-like, it only matters that the game is good. It wasn't so it gets shit on for being a copy. But if it has been an amazing game, then nobody would give a shit that it took the Souls formula as inspiration because they'd be happy they got a good game. Does anyone really care that Elden Ring is just Dark souls 4? No, they only care that's it's good which is why all the other irrative shit that ER does it blantantly ignored and in some cases even praised.

Maybe I'll start a thread about this so that it can be discussed properly.

 

[BrawlMan]

I think people call these games copies or irrative too liberally for the most part. A good game is a good game it doesn't matter if God of War did it first (looking at you quick time events)

Actually Dragon's Lair beat God of War to the punch over 20 years ago around that point. If we're not counting that, then Dynamite Deka/Die Hard Arcade beat God of War by nearly a decade. Also, God of War and Resident Evil 4 increased the popularity of QTEs. Before God of War, it was Devil May Cry clones or "Stylish Action" games. Then God of War clones, "Spectacle Fighters" (Thanks Yahztee [sarcasm]), "Character Action Games" (uuuuuUUHHHhh....), only to land back in to Stylish Action games. When at the end of the day, these are all glorified terms for beat'em ups/hack n slash to sound fancy. There was a time anything DMC releated on GameSpot or IGN was called "Action-Adventure". As if they were ashamed that these games are spiritual successors to 2D brawlers from then yesteryear.

A good game is a good game it doesn't matter if God of War did it first (looking at you quick time events) all that matters is if the latest game is good or not. There is nothing wrong when Focus Entertainment makes Lords of the Fallen as a Souls-like, it only matters that the game is good. It wasn't so it gets shit on for being a copy. But if it has been an amazing game, then nobody would give a shit that it took the Souls formula as inspiration because they'd be happy they got a good game. Does anyone really care that Elden Ring is just Dark souls 4? No, they only care that's it's good which is why all the other iterative shit that ER does it blatantly ignored and in some cases even praised.

Even when game is good, even when its a clone, I've still seen people shit on it for no reason other than blind fandom, or because a game "did it first or better(er)". Some people seemed to have forgotten that Ninja Gaiden (NES) was a Casltlevania clone with emphasis on speed, while NG Arcade was a Double Dragon clone that's average at the end of the day.

Maybe I'll start a thread about this so that it can be discussed properly.

If you wish to do so.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Speaking of Red Flags in gaming, Starfield is 9 months away and the latest updates for the game are just concept are.We still have seen no gameplay, no information really about this game at all and it's out in like 200 days. Where are the trailers? Are they using the same engine from Fallout 76? If not why are they not showing it off? If they are then there is a good reason why this game is still in fucking hidding.