Julius

Ben Starr, the voice of Clive in Final Fantasy XVI, has put his name forward as the next voice of Mario... He's got my vote

Project Q is called Portal (£199.99), earbuds are called Pulse Explore (£199.99), and the new wireless headset is called the Pulse Elite (£129.99). More details on the PlayStation blog: And an ad for the headsets: First impressions of the Portal: No pre-order or release details for any of these right now, but they're promised to be coming soon. I'm in for the earbuds I think, because my Pulse headset gets way too hot during longer online gaming sessions, but for me I think the jury's out on the Portal: not sold on the screen, price, and I'm especially not sold the look of the bisected DualSense being strapped to either side. Love the name though, but apparently it can't stream games via PS+ Premium's cloud streaming? That's a pretty odd decision. Anyways, time to watch some impressions!

We have a new trailer and a release date: 2nd February 2024! ...meaning this drops one day after Granblue Fantasy Relink. Anyways, they also dropped the new battle theme: And the box art looks mighty fine:

...and Spider-Man 2, which is also releasing the same day as Wonder. I totally agree. Going up against the sequel to PlayStation's bestselling game on PS4 and, well, the behemoth that is a Mario game? Well, that's just... Yeah, I don't think Dcubed is wrong on this one. Though, I do think it sets itself up quite nicely as a little pick-up at a potentially solid discount going into the Black Friday/Christmas period! Well at least someone else on here isn't all doom and gloom over it's release date! still looks super charming, though. Hopefully it delivers, it does look promising! Now I'm going to quickly see myself out before anyone here realises I've never completed a Sonic platformer before...

Thanks for that, I stand corrected seems like I've got somethinh I can get to reading up on this weekend!

One of the highlights of Gamescom's ONL: Thank Goodness You're Here! What a delightful time this looks! Coming to Switch, PS5, and PC.

It's not quite making 2023, but at last, we have a date! Granblue Fantasy Relink arrives on 1st February 2024! Today's trailer from Gamescom: And some lovely art as well as the box art: So, let me get this straight: we have this in February, and then, as things stand, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Persona 3 Reloaded, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth are all also scheduled for Early 2024. JRPGs are alive and well, and finally seem to be kicking into high gear this gen! @drahkon get @Hero-of-Time in here, because next year we feast

Yeah, I'm aware of what the strikes issue has to do with; and no, I think you're right, I don't believe SAG-AFTRA covers video game voice actors (though obviously many of them being voice actors in other mediums there are no doubt a good number of them impacted by the strikes). From what I can find after a quick search, current VA contracts in games (interactive media) seem to include a no-strike clause? Which, uh, okay I'm sure they'll circle back to that at some point, it's only the largest entertainment industry anyways, yeah, the Guilds are going after Hollywood, not games, 100%. I feel like it's being taken that I'm saying they shouldn't because it would fly directly in the face of something going on in the gaming space, which I'm not. I think if they were to do it then it's a way to keep Mario's voice as it has been for as long as I've been alive, and so long as Martinet is fairly compensated in such a hypothetical case as this one and gave his express permission to do so, then I say go for it. The alternative is they just try to replicate his voice anyways, and what, they get some VA to replicate his voice and he lives and works in Martinet's shadow any way? The Luigi to Martinet's Mario? The thought of that just kind of sucks. My point, and what I'm saying about doing that now, is that it's simply not great optics, from a business perspective - regardless of whether or not the Guilds are beefing with the games industry, which they aren't - when there are discussions going on in an industry very similar and adjacent to the gaming industry about the use of AI. While the focus in the strikes focus primarily on other areas of its use, AI has been a burning red hot topic for the last 12 months across almost every creative space. I'm not saying blowback in the case of Martinet being compensated fairly in such a hypothetical situation as the one we've outlined would actually be fair, but I'm saying it would almost certainly lead to blowback, because the internet swarm and the public at large tends to conflate everything, to the point that I genuinely think if an otter started flawlessly singing show tunes from the 60s wouldn't be seen as funny but offensive and outdated, and pitchforks would be raised.

Launch trailer: Previews have looked great, the game continues to look amazing...but I'm not sure I'm quite in the mood for a From game coming off the back of FF XVI. Need something a bit more mindless and then going to try diving into BG3, but I know I'll get to this before the end of the year

I mean, yeah, I'm with you. For me this is one of those rare instances where I might prefer it over a recast, especially if Martinet continues to get his due after the AI would hypothetically take over. They've done it for James Earl Jones with Vader's voice already, so why not cement Martinet's as Mario for all time? Totally with you I think for me it's more the way it would look in the current climate, and just the idea of the timing of it. Announcing a potential VA job - for maybe one of the most recognisable "voices" in gaming at that? - going to AI and retiring a veteran who has played him for decades at the same time, while strikes are going on around regulating AI's impact on and utilisation in creative media, would seem very tone deaf. Though honestly the extent of that hypothetical but totally plausible tone deafness is honestly a very compelling argument for Nintendo doing exactly that

Oh, and amidst all this talk about performance a PS4 version was announced to be in the works: And there will also be a disclaimer upon opening the game about potential outdated content: Hmm. Best to be on the safe side, but also curious what exactly it is that they consider outdated. Agreed, though considering that for a hot minute everyone was worried that we were getting 720p ports, I'm fine with it. Surely Konami aren't smart enough for a simply marketing stunt like that, lowballing performance of re-releases for a decade old collection, before giving us what it was before?

Here we go, some clarity on the game's performance on each platform, per VGC: So the Switch has been shafted seven ways to Sunday, as was expected after the previews. That's a massive shame.

Console Wraps™ are on their way to Series X, a snug solution for customising your console: Looks really neat!

Saw this earlier, and I think it's great news. I'll probably wait a few years until the eventual complete box set release, but this is a big step in the right direction for me as someone who loves physical and doesn't want to see it go away, even with the sheer popularity of streaming. Praying this means they actually get around to releasing a complete box set for Rebels, and now that TCW is complete after S7, we can hopefully get an updated complete box set for TCW including both S6 and S7!

Unfortunately, I'm not even sure that would be the worst outcome here. There's no way Nintendo are going to resort to using the existing sound files they have as input for AI to voice Mario...right? @RedShell seems to be a fan of the idea (I mean I'm not totally against it, it would go further in immortalising Martinet's voice if the AI were to be generated using his voice, even more so if they credited the AI voice as being based on Charles Martinet's) but I imagine that would cause a lot of heated debate, especially if they did make the change for a game releasing in a few months and not whatever's next for everyone's favourite plumber. As if we need further heated AI debates! It's been a hot topic as of late, obviously (everything going on in Hollywood, some game studios seemingly starting to jump on it for voice acting, etc.), but I didn't even think about it until @BowserBasher typed out what I thought would probably be the case (reusing existing sound assets from Martinet). Through his retirement or eventual passing (touch wood that that's not for a long time yet), and especially with the simplicity of Mario's "voice" (at least in the games), it does seem exactly like the sort of stereotypical case big wigs want to use AI for. Or say they want to. I can never tell with those guys. But they wouldn't dare? ...would they?

Yeah, totally agreed. Makes MGS4's opening credits an interesting one when it goes on for 10 minutes and you see Kojima's name like 5 times. Even more interesting if they re-release V considering that every mission has those credits Did Kojima preempt all of this by plastering his name over everything? Not that I disagree, and I think the Switch is more than able to hold its own when it comes to running these, but the wording in the article seems to suggest this might only apply to the Switch...which I'm sure will go over well if that does turn out to be the case. The games included in this collection ran pretty much flawlessly on PS3 too when I played them a couple of years ago, though there was one moment in Snake Eater where the frame rate did dip using a shotgun, and it was only made so noticeable because of how flawlessly it otherwise ran. I think I'll wait to see how it turns out and then hope a sale that'll hopefully come at some point, there are a few extra tidbits but my PS3 is still hooked up and so getting these will only really be to have the convenience of access on a newer system. It's such a shame I think, bringing a legendary collection of games back to the forefront and onto modern platforms in such a half-arsed way, but such is the state of the big publishers in the industry EDIT: looks like this could be soft-confirmation of other platforms being 1080p/60fps ~ Seems in line with what Nintendo Life were saying before. It's kind of mental that Konami haven't confirmed it either way, you'd think performance should be front and centre for a remaster, especially a collection of them!

Welp, guess I'll be waiting for a hardcore sale on these then, that's very disappointing. Just to clarify, the article does state that on PS5 (and PS4? The phrasing isn't super clear) and Series X that while still 720p on those consoles, it will be aiming for the target HD Edition frame rate (which was 60 fps). Something else interesting is that they mention the version they played games and spotted the copyrights are from the 2012 HD Editions: This is just a little bit of a curiosity, as while the HD Editions of 2 and 3 released on PS3/Xbox 360 in 2012 in the EU and Oz, the collection was released in Japan in 2011 in the US and Japan. Now, I know Nintendo Life is run out of the UK, so maybe that's why they mention the 2012 release, but they mention that they played the Switch version specifically – part of me wonders if this release (or maybe even the Switch release specifically) is based on the Vita release of the games, which was released in all regions in 2012? But then even then I swear reading that certain areas in that version of the game would run at 60 fps A last thought on this: while I'm sure they were compensated for it, it's strange to me how Bluepoint straight up haven't been recognised, as far as I can tell, during the promotion of this release, considering that these ports are straight up their work on the game (albeit somehow inferior?) and the constant references to their HD Editions. Very curious to see how credits are handled, but to be honest at this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if they're the exact same as in the original HD Edition releases and they forget to include the new guys who have worked on this particular port job. Considering this is Vol. 1, I do kind of want to see Konami attempt (and fail to) untangle the mess that is MGS4. We also haven't seen their Suikoden remasters in a while...

Digital Foundry's take on the Switch version of the game:

This could be my GOTY. After 55+ hours, credits are finally rolling for me on Final Fantasy XVI. There's a bit left to do on this first playthrough to get it to 100% before I dive into NG+ and take aim at the Platinum, but this game has left me pretty much stunned. The music. The boss battles. The combat. The characters. Their interactions. The world. It's lore. It's scale. Did I mention the music already? It's not without its flaws, and I'll get to those in due time, but for now: what a game, and what an achievement. It's the most beautiful summer blockbuster of a game I've ever played through. I wait on baited breath to see what Creative Business Unit III could do with its potential DLC, and perhaps more exciting, the lessons they'll learn from this game with eyes set on hopefully taking the reins on XVII. I wasn't fortunate enough to grow up on Final Fantasy, but this matches and perhaps even surpasses some of the most epic moments in the Final Fantasy games I have played through, all played out as a visual feast for the eyes and a plentiful earful for the soul. I'll give it some time so as to not get totally lost in my own excitement, but this could well be my favourite Final Fantasy, and perhaps even more telling for me, my favourite Final Fantasy soundtrack that I've experienced so far. One last time, and seriously: I think this is going to end up my GOTY. I will be shocked if I love a game released in 2023 - from top to bottom, beginning to end, first minute to the last - more than I have this.

The two-episode premiere has been bumped up to 18:00 PST next Tuesday (22nd August), which is 02:00 BST for us Brits - not totally clear if the plan is to drop them at the same time over here, but I'd imagine so. All new episodes will be dropping on Tuesdays at this time. Hmm. I'm all for episodes coming out earlier, this is kinder to the east coast of the US then previous releases, but it's a strange change to make (especially so close to release), and I'm not looking forward to dodging spoilers as soon as I open my eyes in the morning. Got to imagine that there are some metrics which have resulted in this change, perhaps around viewer retention/early viewership numbers? A midnight release in the US (or later) definitely meant many weren't watching until the evening after it dropped (or waiting until Fridays). Personally I think Fridays are better for releasing regular episodes for a big show like this (gives everyone a chance to watch over the weekend before talking about it at work/friends during the week to build up hype for the next episode) rather than midweek, but eh, the sooner we get episodes the better I guess Lastly, early impressions from last night's fan screening were very positive. Very much looking forward to seeing how the show turns out

I didn't before... ...but I might do now

It has just been announced that Gaiden will include a special demo for Infinite Wealth! You will need to beat Gaiden to unlock the demo, and there is a special scene included in the demo that won't be include in the final game.

Overview and updated trailer:

Per PSU, the listing on the PS Store does confirm that the game is indeed PS4 Pro enhanced as previously speculated: Digital Foundry's thoughts on the PS4 version of the game are up, too (with thoughts on the Switch version in the works): Yep, bare minimum effort as expected since the announcement...but it doesn't make this game any less worth playing.